Legacy
by hferg
Summary: Past, present, and future collide when a keyblade wielder, long thought dead, arrives on the Destiny Islands in a search for vengence. He joins Sora and the others on their journey, though his path may end up putting everything in jeapordy. T for now...
1. Preparations

_Author's notes (A/N): Well, yet another story for me to TRY to write... maybe I'll actually be able to finish this one. At any rate, this one is going to be a bit more action-oriented than my other stories, and though it's not rated M yet, it may be later, as I haven't actually thought much beyond chapter 3. I do intend to introduce some worlds that aren't (yet) in the games, including some that are NOT Square/Enix or Disney worlds. I mean, after all, it IS my story! Why can't I have some fun with it? Also, the part at the very beginning, that is the message that was in the bottle that Sora, Kairi, and Riku found at the end of KH2._

_I should note that my interpretation of the Kingdom Hearts time line is as follows: Birth by Sleep (for the most part) takes place about 10 years before KH1. The Keyblade Wars ended about two years before BbS began. KH1 took place over the course of a couple months (because let's face it, it did NOT take place in a single day...) with Chain of Memories taking place about a month or so after the end of KH1, and lasting a couple days. KH2 takes place a year after the end of CoM, and, like KH1, takes place over the span of at least a couple months. This story takes place about three months after the end of KH2, or approximately 15 years after the end of the Keyblade Wars. I should note that I haven't played BbS so I may be wrong in part of that. If I am, let me know and I'll adjust accordingly._

_Also, even though they probably don't want the credit, I'm going to give special thanks to Ian "Digifanatic" Hoffman and Terri/Blaze for being my previewers and proofreaders._

_Disclaimer: Yeah, everyone and their mother knows I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Just the original places and people that I introduce._

**Chapter 1 – Preparations**

_Sora, Riku, and Princess Kairi:_

_Congratulations on making it back home, and on defeating Xenmas. You have all come much further than anyone had thought you would. You've earned your rest._

_Unfortunately, defeating Xenmas hasn't stopped the darkness like I'd anticipated it would. There is still work to be done. I will be arriving in a week to go over the details, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask for help from the three of you once more. See you in seven days._

_King Mickey  
><em>

The letter had arrived in a bottle six days ago, and Sora had reread it every morning since it arrived. Sighing, he got himself out of bed and got ready for the day ahead. The brunette showered and got himself dressed. For some reason, which even he didn't know, he still wore the magical clothes that the three witches had given him in Yen Sid's tower when he started his third adventure. After that, he began to make his way to where he was to meet his friends.

"_You aren't looking forward to another adventure, are you?"_ Sora had become used to the voice in his head, his Nobody, Roxas. Somehow, when they were rejoined, the process hadn't been completed, a situation that he'd kept secret everyone.

"No, Roxas, I'm not. My first adventure nearly got me killed, I don't even REMEMBER my second adventure, and my third one nearly got Kairi killed. Why would I be looking forward to a fourth?"

"_Well, you still have us, you know. Riku, Kairi, and I will help you, and so will Donald, Goofy, and the King."_

"I know. It doesn't make me want to look forward to this any more, though." By now Sora had arrived at the island with the Paopu tree, and Riku and Kairi were already there. "Hey, you two."

"Hey, Sora!" Kairi immediately stood up and ran to the Chosen Wielder, wrapping him up in a hug, which garnered at slight chuckle from Riku, much to the embarrassment of the other two.

"So, what do we need to do today?" Sora's question was to both, though he knew that it'd be Riku who answered.

"Well, we need to get more supplies together. Even if Mickey is coming, we should provide some of our own things for the journey." Riku did indeed respond.

"All right. Hey, when we're done, let's camp here tonight. After all, who knows when we'll be back here again? Just... don't let Riku cook." Kairi giggled as she ran off to go get some things.

Sora also chuckled as he hopped down to the beach below, leaving Riku standing there by himelf. "What's wrong with my cooking?" The white-haired boy questioned as he chased after his friend.

"Last time you tried to cook for us, you burned the pot of water."

"I told you that wasn't my fault! You had to go and tell about our adventure on The World That Never Was, and tell it WRONG, again!"

"I told it as I saw it, Riku!" The two were so busy arguing with each other that they didn't even see Tidus or Wakka until they ran into the other pair.

"Oh, hey you two. Haven't seen you much lately." Wakka was holding his Blitzball under his arm, as usual.

"Yeah, we have... err... something to do." Riku skillfully avoided giving a real answer to that question. Despite the fact that they'd saved the galaxy twice, most of the people of their home world were still were unaware of what Sora, Kairi, and Riku had been doing. It didn't help that the three of them had decided as a group not to produce their keyblades. They knew that the heartless were still out there, and could use the keyblades as a homing beacon, something none of the teens wanted to risk. As far as most of the world was concerned, Riku and Sora disappeared for a year, then suddenly reappeared. Nobody believed them when they tried to explain what had happened, and after about a month, the two, along with Kairi, stopped trying.

"Yeah, sure. Going to save the world again, huh?" Tidus was among those that didn't believe what Riku and Sora had claimed had happened.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Sora smiled. "Hey, Riku, I need to go do some things, I'll see you and Kairi later." With that the Chosen Wielder left the group.

"What's with him?" Tidus couldn't help but think the question out loud.

"He lost a year of his life, and nobody believes him when he explains how. What do you think is bothering him?" Riku just stared at the young man. "Have fun with your practice." And with that Riku started away from the pair.

"Uh... yeah, ok. Bye, Riku." Tidus shrugged as he watched the white-haired teen walk away.

It took most of the day for Riku, Kairi, and Sora to finish their respective chores. The sun hadn't quite begun to set behind the cliffs when they reconvened on their small island.

"Ah, tomorrow the King will be here, and we'll be going off on another adventure." Riku sighed as he leaned against the tree.

"Yeah, we get to save the world again." Sora's gloomy mood was noticed by both his companions.

"Hey, cheer up, Sora. So what if nobody here believes you? We believe you. And... we believe IN you." Kairi smiled at her.

"_She's right, Sora. You saved the galaxy. Sure, you didn't get any glory for it, but then again, you didn't do it for the glory to begin with, did you?"_

_S_ora sighed, shaking his head. "You're right. We'll just do the job again, regardless of what everyone else thinks about us." He smiled at his friends. "Come on, let's go get cooking. I'm hungry."

This comment got all three of them laughing as they made their way back toward the door to the shack. As they walked across the bridge, discussing their upcoming adventure, none of them noticed a man stepping out of a dark corridor on the island they'd just vacated.

_A/N: Ok, so this was a short chapter. Unfortunately, I wanted to stop it with my O/C appearing for the first time, and I pretty much ran out of material a lot faster than I'd planned on. HOPEFULLY the ones that come after this will be longer, I'm pretty sure the second chapter will be._

_As always, reviews and comments are greatly appreciated._


	2. Confrontation

_A/N: The second chapter of my Kingdom Hearts story! So, yeah, I'm doing a few cliffhangers these first few chapters, sorry! I figured it was necessary to do so, since the chapters seem to provide natural break points._

_Disclaimer: Why can't I own a part of the kick-ass series that is Kingdom Hearts?_

**Chapter 2 – Confrontation**

"Look guys, all I'm saying is-"

"Look out!" Riku's shout interrupted Sora's comment, though all three of them had sensed something at the same time. Riku and Kairi, being on the left and right of Sora respectively, dove away from him. Sora, caught by surprise was only able to turn around, just in time to be hit in the chest by an energy blast. The blast knocked Sora into the air and slammed him against the cliff wall, where he fell to the beach below, unconscious.

As Riku and Kairi got up, they turned to the source of the blast. On the island they'd left stood a man, with long black hair tied back in a ponytail. The man was wearing a long overcoat, which was unzipped, revealing a dark green shirt and long black jeans underneath. The man's left arm was still extended, tendrils of energy still coming out of it from the energy blast. After a few seconds, the man lowered his arm, his eyes remaining on Sora as he fell. When the young hero landed on the beach, the man jumped down after him, landing a short distance away.

"Bastard!" Riku and Kairi jumped down after him, attempting to attack him. Unfortuantely, the man erected a reflect barrier around himself, and the two other keybladers were knocked away by the shield. Then the man turned to look at them.

"This doesn't concern you two." The man's voice was calm, but carried an edge of extreme anger. Riku could sense the darkness within the man, and he drew his keyblade. Next to him, Kairi did the same. Seeing this, the man scoffed slightly. "I have no desire to fight a Princess of Heart, nor one of her protectors. Fact is, my quarrel is with the King. But seeing as he's not here, his chosen wielder will have to deliver a message to him on my behalf."

With that, the man sent another spell at the pair, with a speed that they were unprepared for. The spell didn't damage them, it only knocked them further away from the man, and from Sora.

"Damn, this guy's powerful." Riku got up, and charged forward, only to run right into an invisible barrier. "Shit!" Riku looked around, the ripples from his impact showed the barrier, it was fairly large, and had both the stranger and Sora contained within it.

The man stood there, looking down at Sora's prone form. "So, you're the chosen wielder? I would have expected more from you than this. It's a shame though, I was looking forward to a decent fight." Sighing, the man took hold of Sora by the neck and lifted him into the air. "He has left you just as he has me. Now you will suffer in his stead." Another energy blast launched Sora once more against the rock cliff, causing his limp form to fall back down.

"Hey! You want a fight, come fight me instead!" Riku's shouting from outside the barrier went ignored by the man.

As he approached Sora once more, the boy began to glow. "What?" The man paused, curious as to what was happening this time. Sora's body became covered in a white glow, morphing, changing. When it was over, laying there wasn't the brown-haired Chosen Wielder, but a blonde-haired boy instead. As soon as the transformation was complete, the boy started to pick himself up from the ground. The man seemed unphased by this. "Hmmm, so it's true then. You still exist within him."

"Yes, I do. And I'm going to destroy you." As the boy spoke, two keyblades appeared in his hands. The man only smirked at him.

Riku, seeing the new player, gasped. "Roxas?"

"Marrik, that's enough!" The voice, high pitched and immediately recognizable to everyone, as both the man and the boy seemed to freeze at his exclamation.

"Well, King Mickey." The man, Marrik, apparently, addressed the mouse who'd appeared behind him, along with an anthropomorphic dog and duck. "I guess you really do care about them, unlike us."

"Marrik, what are you doing here?"

"Did he say Marrik? I thought he was dead." The duck whispered to the dog.

"Gawrsh, guess maybe he's a Heartless or a Nobody now?" The dog's reply was equally quiet.

"I came to see why you abandoned us, why you BETRAYED us!" As Marrik spoke he whirled around, a large keyblade appearing in his left hand. This keyblade was actually a double blade, with two keys appearing to be attached back to back, with a massive handle which Marrik held with both hands, pointing it at Mickey and firing off an energy blast. The blast caused Mickey and his companions to scatter. As they did so, the barrier rippled and shifted, sealing everyone outside it except for Mickey and Marrik.

"Betrayed you? What are you talking about?" Mickey's confusion was evident in his voice, but at the same time, he summoned his own keyblade, getting into a defensive stance.

Instead of answering verbally, Marrik charged the King, swinging his keyblade down at the mouse. At the last second, Mickey dove out of the way, the blade hitting the sand instead. The man didn't give him much chance to react, as he swung the blade around, using it to launch a fireball at Mickey, who countered it with a water spell. That left Mickey open for a Tundaga spell, however, which knocked the King into the air, and left him open for a series of strikes from the enraged Keyblader. Finishing off the combo, Marrik kicked Mickey toward the cliff wall. Mickey, realizing this, shifted his position, rebounding off the wall and diving at Marrik, slashing him as he dove by.

Marrik turned around, holding his side where Mickey's blade had struck. "I should have expected no less from the one who was nominated to be our leader so long ago. But if you think that's going to be enough to stop me, you've forgotten just what I've been through!"

Before Mickey could reply, Marrik charged again. Mickey tried to block Marrik's blade with his own, but the force behind the much larger and heavier blade knocked the mouse King off balance. Marrik pressed his advantage, swinging again at Mickey, again Mickey blocked but was pushed around by the force of the blow. Realizing quickly that even defending was eventually going to lead to problems, Mickey blocked the third blow with a reflect spell, knocking his attacker away.

Marrik glared at the mouse angrily. "Come on, you going to finish what you started or you going to just stand there and wait for me to finish you instead?"

"You want me to attack you? Fine, you've got it." And like a flash of light, the King charged the wielder, jumping up to swing at Marrik's head. The larger wielder blocked the blow, pushing Mickey aside in the process. "Ah!" Mickey was suddenly aware that the larger blade and stronger wielder would be able to easily push him around in a physical contest. Nonetheless, Mickey swung again, this time following up that attack with a burst of Light magic, which connected solidly, as Marrik had swung to counter the blade and left himself open.

The wielder was knocked back off his feet by the force of Mickey's attack. The king pressed his advantage, swinging at Marrik once more with his sword. Marrik blocked it, but the block was one-handed and with the much larger sword, it wasn't nearly strong enough to push Mickey away. Mickey continued his assault slashing at Marrik's chest and kicking him in the head, knocking him back onto the ground. Mickey landed next to the larger man, his blade ready to continue if he needed to.

Marrik growled and scrambled to his feet. It was at that point that Mickey saw what the darkness of his anger was being fueled by. "What happened to you, Marrik?"

"You betrayed us. You destroyed us!"

Mickey pondered those words for a second. "Destroyed us?" Suddenly he realized what the wielder meant. "What happened to Alden?"

"Like you don't know!" Marrik charged Mickey again, swinging a bit wildly. It quickly became apparent that Marrik's anger and other emotions were causing him to lose control of his own actions, and Mickey was much more easily able to avoid the attacks. "You said you'd come back to us!" He swung at Mickey's head, which was blocked. "You said you'd be there to help us if we asked for it!" He swung again, and again the mouse blocked. "You lied to us!" He swung again, this time a forward swing, knocking the king back. "And because of your lies, it's all GONE!" He fired off a Thundaga spell, which Mickey countered with a reflect spell. The reflected spell caught Marrik fully, knocking him down to the sand.

Mickey unsummoned his keyblade after the reflect spell. He'd now realized what Marrik was talking about."I tried to get back to you, Marrik. Shortly after the war ended, the paths to your sector collapsed. You were cut off and we were unable to return."

Marrik had tried to get up, coughing slightly, but holding his keyblade shakily, his will to keep fighting faltering. "I sent messengers to you."

"They never made it." Mickey approached him by now, as Marrik looked at him. "I'm sorry about what happened, if I'd have known I would have tried to find a way to you."

"Then how?" Marrik was on the verge of losing control of his emotions, and Mickey knew it.

"I'd guess the Heartless made their own pathway to your sector. You probably piggybacked on their path to get here."

"I... No... NOOOOOOOOOOO!" As the realizations dawned on him, his grief took over. A massive amount of energy flared from Marrik as he dropped to his knees, the energy hitting and shattering the barrier, but doing no damage to Mickey. When the energy cleared, Marrik's blade was gone, he was on his knees, crying with a locket attached to a chain gripped tightly in his hand.

The others quickly ran up to Mickey and Marrik once the barrier was down. They'd been able to hear the conversation and now knew as well as Mickey did why Marrik had attacked them. The revelation was a sobering one, one that Riku, Sora, Kairi, and Roxas knew all too well. It took a few minutes for the group to come to the realization of what had happened however. "Are you all right, Sor-." It was at that point that Mickey noticed Sora's new look. "R-Roxas!"

_A/N: So, yeah, Marrik's home world fell to the Heartless. My original plan was to start the story with Marrik as a younger man during the end of the Keyblade Wars, then showing his world being destroyed by the Heartless, BEFORE introducing Sora, Riku, and Kairi. In other words, I'd originally planned Chapters 1 and 2 to be Chapters 3 and 4 respectively. That said, I'll show the scenes as flashbacks later, probably. At the very least they'll be touched on, especially the next chapter, which will be all about revelations._

_Also, a note about Marrik's keyblade. When Ian read the description in the chapter, he asked it it was like the one Darth Maul used in Phantom Menace. It is not. Most keys have a jagged edge and a smooth edge. Marrik's keyblade has two keys, with the jagged edges pointing out, the smooth edges against each other, with enough space between them for an opponent's sword or keyblade to get caught in that space. His keyblade also has another ability, which will be revealed in a later chapter._

_As always, please review or comment!_


	3. Explainations

_A/N: All right, Chapter 3! I have NO idea how long this thing is going to end up being. This is because I don't actually have anything planned out beyond about Chapter 6 or so. I already plan on visiting Twilight Town, Radiant Garden, Olympus Coliseum, and Neverland. I have other worlds in mind as well, and I will take suggestions from my readers on both old and new worlds to visit. I can't guarantee they'll all make it in, though. After all, it'd be hard for me to write about the world if I have no clue about it. I'm also planning on having the characters split up eventually, though I haven't completely finalized the groups. I MIGHT also end up making this a multiple story series, if it goes long enough._

_Disclaimer: When is Kingdom Hearts 3 coming out? If I owned it, I'd tell you._

**Chapter 3 – Explanations**

Roxas looked at King Mickey as he spoke his name. The shocked expression was quickly replaced by embarrassment as he knelt down in a bow to the king. "Your Majesty."

Mickey, like everyone else, was shocked to see the Nobody standing before him. "Gosh, Roxas. I... what are you doing here?"

"I've always been here, been a part of Sora. When he knocked Sora out, I took over his body to protect him from further damage. You stopped him before I got started though." The Nobody frowned and looked down.

"Oh, gee, Roxas. I meant how are you still existing? I thought Ansem rejoined you and Sora."

"He did, but..." Roxas sighed looking away. "When Sora fought Xenmas, somehow I woke up within his mind. I've been there ever since."

"Gawrsh, but how?" Goofy's question reminded both Mickey and Roxas that they weren't alone.

"I don't know, Goofy." Goofy was shocked that Roxas knew his name. "I'd heard of you, and I saw you as you slumbered. Besides, Sora and I have shared memories now that we're together."

"Then, you know why I..." Riku was a bit nervous. The last time he and Roxas had met, Riku had attacked, defeated, and imprisoned Roxas in the fake Twilight Town.

"Yes, I know why you attacked me, why you did what you did." Roxas smiled at Sora's friend. "And, I don't blame you for it."

"But that still doesn't explain how you're here when Sora's down!" Donald was seemingly angry about Roxas avoiding the question.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know, Donald." Roxas frowned again.

"I do." Everyone turned at the voice, they'd forgotten that Marrik was still there. The man stood up and turned around, the locket he'd been staring at was now attached to his belt. "At least, we had a theory."

"Wait, you knew Roxas still existed?" Kairi seemed curious, and nervous, about this idea.

"Not him specifically, no. But we had theories on Heartless and Nobodies. Obviously, actually testing them was quite impossible." Marrik bowed slightly to the Princess. "Forgive me, I know who you are, but you don't know who I am. My name is Marrik. I am from... was from... a world called Alden."

"What do you know about Roxas?" Riku's question came before anyone else could ask something.

Marrik sighed as he looked at Roxas. "The theory was that because you and Sora were separate for a year, you had different experiences, and, despite being a Nobody, that you managed to start developing your own emotions and personality."

"Ok..." Roxas wasn't following completely.

"When Ansem rejoined you and Sora, your personalities and experiences had caused enough of a divide that it became impossible to completely rejoin the two of you." When Roxas still didn't get it, Marrik sighed. "Ok, think of a tree. When it branches out the branches go in separate directions. Sometimes, the branches will curl back to each other, but they never again truly become one, not completely."

"You think that's what happened to us?"

"As I said, it's only a theory, though when the evidence to support it is right in front of me." Marrik shrugged. "No matter what Ansem did, he couldn't completely get rid of you... or Namine." As he finished, he turned his attention to Kairi, who gasped and backed away.

"Na- Namine?" Roxas definitely recognized that name, looking at Kairi confused.

"She's inside you, a part of you, isn't she, Princess?"

Instead of replying verbally, Kairi stepped back, suddenly glowing a bright white light. When the light faded, a young blonde teenager was standing there. The new girl was a couple inches shorter than Kairi, and was dressed in a simple white dress that came down past her knees. She looked quite pale, though she smiled slightly.

"Kairi is letting me use the body for a little while." She looked to Roxas and nodded. "It's good to see you again."

"I... Namine!" The keyblade wielder smiled to the young woman.

Marrik smirked at their reunion, though his face grew serious quickly. "It's good to see you two remember each other. All things considered, I didn't know if you would."

"Why not?" Roxas' attention was now on Marrik.

"Well..." The older wielder sighed, looking at Mickey for a second before turning back to Roxas. "How much do you and Sora know about Castle Oblivion?"

"Not much. I know that half the Organization went there for some experiment, and the only one to return was Axel. Sora's never heard of the place."

Marrik nodded at that information. "Nobody's told you about it?"

"We didn't think it was necessary." Riku commented.

"Why, what happened at Castle Oblivion?" Roxas was now getting nervous.

Donald and Goofy looked at Roxas a bit concerned. Much like Sora, their memories of the events at that Castle had been erased, thus they were just as clueless.

Mickey sighed and shook his head in defeat. "Well, you've opened the door, Marrik. Might as well tell them."

Marrik nodded, sighing as well. "All right then." He turned to Roxas. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy went to Castle Oblivion a couple months after defeating Ansem. Sorry, Xehanort's Heartless." Marrik glanced at Riku as he mentioned this, which made the silver-haired wielder cringe slightly.

"Gawrsh, was THAT the name of that place?"

"So you do know of it." Marrik was actually somewhat surprised at this.

"It's the last thing I remember seeing before waking up in that pod!" Donald's answer had plenty of irritation in it.

"Ah, all right then." Marrik nodded, turning his attention back to Roxas. "The Organization had control of the Castle, and they were conducting experiments there. You're already aware of this." At Roxas' nod, he continued. "The specific experiment they were doing involved the chosen wielder of the keyblade, and his friends." Marrik gestured to Donald and Goofy as he mentioned them, causing them to give the wielder their undivided attention.

"Marluxia, who was in charge of the Castle, wanted to use the chosen wielder as a weapon against Xenmas. He wanted to take control of the Organization for himself." Marrik looked directly at Roxas now. "Axel was sent along with them by Xenmas. He suspected Marluxia's intentions and asked Axel to handle the situation. I suppose it was also a test of Axel's loyalty, considering Sora's Nobody was also Axel's best friend." Marrik shrugged slightly now. "I don't know what Xenmas' intent would have been. It's possible Axel's job was to make Sora loyal to Xenmas, not Marluxia, but we'll probably never know now."

"What was the experiment?" Roxas seemed even more upset now, hearing about this for the first time.

"They wanted to alter Sora's memories. I don't know what the endgame was, but their plan was to replace Kairi in Sora's memories with someone else, someone they thought they had under their control." Marrik looked at Namine before starting to walk away from the pair, toward Mickey. "But they were wrong. Their captor broke free of their control and warned Sora. To top it all off, somehow Riku and the King managed to find their way into a different area of the Castle. In the end, Axel escaped, but the data and everything else the Organization had at that Castle fell into the hands of DiZ, Ansem." He looked at the Nobodies once more. "Including the captive."

"The captive?" Roxas was mumbling to himself, searching his memories. Suddenly he looked up at Marrik, realization dawning on him. "Namine!" He looked at her in shock. "You destroyed Sora's memories?"

Namine looked as if she was on the verge of tears. "I... I didn't know what to do. I was... told... I'd be free. I..." Unable to keep her composure, she ran off, down the beach away from the group. Roxas moved to follow her, but was stopped by Riku.

"Let me. Namine may share Kairi's memories, but she's more familiar with me than she is you." Roxas nodded to Riku's words and the dark wielder ran after the Nobody.

Namine was sitting on the edge of the island that had the Paopu tree on it. Riku could hear her crying before he even approached. Sighing, he walked up and sat down next to her.

"He hates me for what I've done, doesn't he." Namine couldn't even look at Riku, though she knew it was him, not Roxas, that had come.

"No, he doesn't hate you. I don't think he understood until now just how large a role you've played in his life, and Sora's."

"Then why did YOU come after me, not him?"

"Because, all things considered, I thought it would be easier if it was me."

"Why did you think that?"

"Because for that year it was you and I who were watching Sora. And..." Riku sighed, looking away from her. "Because as much as I know he wants to, I wasn't sure Roxas could help."

Namine looked at Riku curiously at his comment. "He... wanted to come to me?"

"Yeah, he did." Riku couldn't help the slight red tone his face took. He was thankful she couldn't see it right now. "I think he feels worse about upsetting you than you did hiding the truth from him."

Namine couldn't help but giggle at that thought. Her laughter forced Riku to look at her, and his confused, slightly embarrassed expression made her laugh even more. This in turn cause Riku to laugh, though his was a bit more nervous.

"Shall we go back in, then? Dinner should be about ready."

Namine smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I suppose so. Though, I'm not looking forward to Sora's cooking."

"You've never HAD Sora's cooking. Besides, it's Roxas who's cooking, he has control." Riku's technicality had Namine laughing again.

"Yeah, but Kairi has had Sora's, so I do remember it. And I don't know if Roxas would be any better, they are essentially the same person, after all." She sighed and looked down, barely whispering, "Just like Kairi and I are."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short, Namine. Like Marrik said, you and Kairi, and Roxas and Sora, may have been one and the same to start with, but that's no longer true. Sure you currently share one body, but you are two different people. Trust me, I've seen enough of both of you to tell the difference." Riku stood up and dusted himself off, holding out a hand to the young Nobody.

"Hmm, I suppose you're right." Namine took the offered hand, smiling and getting back to her own feet. "Well, let's go on inside."

"Yeah, before Roxas and the others eat all the food." And so the two headed for the shack that had been built into the rock wall of the island. Once inside, they saw Roxas, Goofy, Donald, and King Mickey all talking to Marrik. The conversation appeared friendly, all the problems from earlier had apparently been resolved.

"But anyway, I do wonder sometimes what would have happened had Xenmas not been the leader of Organization XIII. Truth be told, other than the top six, none of us really wanted to cause the problems that we did." Apparently somehow the topic had become Roxas' time in the Organization. "I know Axel mostly just wanted to have fun, and Demyx wanted to just play his sitar."

"Yeah, Xehanort and Larxene were the only truly evil members. Most of the others seemed to just go with the crowd." Mickey acknowledged.

"Yeah, though a few others did have the darkness in them, like Luxord. Oh, hey, everything all right, Namine?" Roxas was the first to see the two come in, and he went over to Namine and hugged her gently. "Listen, I'm sorry about reacting the way I did."

"It's all right, Roxas. You deserved to react like that. I shouldn't have done that to Sora." She paused for a second, realization dawning on her. "Wait, you're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be? Sure what you did was wrong, but in the end, I almost owe you one for doing it."

"How do you figure that?" Riku didn't get it any more than Namine did.

"Well, if Namine hadn't messed up Sora's memories, he wouldn't have had to fall asleep for a year. If he hadn't fallen asleep for a year, there's a good chance that DiZ, Ansem, may have done what he did much sooner than he did. The way I see it, Namine granted me, and herself, a year of existence that we may not have had otherwise." This way of thinking caught everyone off guard, and it took them a few seconds to consider what Roxas had said.

"Hmm, you know, I never thought of it that way, but you may be right, Roxas." Namine smiled and hugged him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Namine." Roxas smiled as well, then turned to Riku, who had slid off to a corner of the shack, seemingly lost in thought. "Something on your mind?"

"Actually, yes. I know why Namine, Kairi, Mickey, and I know about what happened at Castle Oblivion. But Marrik, you weren't there, you said yourself you haven't been out of your sector since the end of the Keyblade War. How did you know about what we saw and did there?"

Marrik had sat down at the table and listened to the conversation until now. He started slightly at Riku's sudden question. "Oh, yes, that." He sighed, looking at Riku. "I figured someone would ask sooner or later. I suppose I do owe you an explanation. But..." He looked at the food which was nearly done. "Can it wait until after dinner? I've been living off of rations since my supplies ran out a week ago."

Everyone laughed at Marrik's remark, including Marrik himself. Riku just nodded and approached the table. "Yeah, sure. I suppose we can do that. I'm pretty hungry myself, honestly."

_A/N: Yeah, these first few chapters are pretty much happening one after another, with no breaks between. There is a short break between this chapter and the next, approximately half an hour. I would like to note that traveling between worlds is not instantaneous, it takes a few hours to get from Twilight Town to Radiant Garden, for example. I won't be putting every between-world scene in the story, so if they leave, say, Pridelands at the end of one chapter, then are at Halloween Town at the start of the next one, some time passed that wasn't worth putting in the story._

_So, yeah, next time, the journey begins. How far that journey goes next chapter, I don't know yet. I do know that the crew will at least leave Destiny Islands next chapter, and that the ride to their next destination will not be smooth. I just don't know how far I'll get along that line._

_As always, please review and comment! And please tell me if there's a world you'd like to see included, regardless of the system or company._


	4. The Journey Begins

_A/N: All right, another chapter of my KH story! This time around, you learn how Marrik knows what he knows, and the gang's first mission begins. Incendentally, I've been thinking about things to do down the line. I'm going to be introducing, or at least referencing, a couple more O/C's and eventually reference a character that is believed to have been destroyed previously. And no I'm not talking about Xenahort, though he will be appearing again eventually, in ALL his forms; human, Heartless, AND Nobody._

_Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts 3D is SO going to ruin the plot of my story. Too bad I don't own the rights, or THIS would be the next game instead!_

**Chapter 4 – The Journey Begins**

It wasn't long before the dinner was ready. Thankfully, there was plenty made for everyone, which was a bit of a surprise considering it was originally only going to be three in the group. Once it was ready, everyone decided to eat outside, and a campfire was hastily built and lit. The sun set quickly, and by the time dinner was over, it had become quite dark. And for a while, the group sat there, sharing stories, some of which others knew, some they didn't. At some point during the conversation, Roxas and Namine both gave their bodies back to their respective other halves. All the while, Marrik sat, listening, laughing.

"So, Marrik, I believe you said you'd explain how you know about our adventures." Marrik sighed at Riku's comment. He knew one of them would ask sooner or later, though he was hoping to avoid it. He looked at Riku and the others, then nodded.

"I suppose I do owe you at least that much." He paused, thinking about how to explain things. "First things first, though. I need to explain about Alden." He looked at Mickey for a second before starting. "Alden is... was a planet rich in magical energy. Its people are quite magically inclined, among the best mages in the known worlds. Alden is also fairly isolated, being on the edge of the known worlds. Because of this, it and the other worlds that are in our sector usually are ignored by conflicts that frequently plague the universe."

"So, what happened with the Keyblade Wars?" Sora's inquiry drew a bit of a smile from Riku. Apparently he'd been thinking the same thing.

"Alden had been approached about lending aid to the various participants in that war. In the end, a group of wielders from the dark side tried to invade our sector. They were repelled fairly handily, but their attempt drew Alden into the war. I was... twelve at the time, I believe. By then I'd already acquired the keyblade and been trained in its use. When Alden joined the war, I was placed in a somewhat high ranking among its military despite my age, since wielders were considered to be exceptional warriors and leaders."

"And you led Alden's military in the war?" Again Sora and Riku seemed to be thinking along the same lines, though Sora was the one asking the questions.

"Not all of it, no. Just a small group. Actually, our group was made up of people from all over the sector, and a few worlds outside it." Marrik sighed, closing his eyes for a second, before shaking his head slightly and opening them. "The War lasted for three years after Alden joined it. It ended in a huge battle on a planet that was unnamed at the time. Thousands of wielders perished on that battlefield, and when it was over, the dark side was soundly defeated."

"And you helped defeat them? I bet you were hailed as a hero on Alden." Riku smiled at his comment, he'd finally manage to beat Sora to the punch.

Marrik sighed and shook his head, frowning sadly. "Actually, I didn't participate in that battle."

"Why not?" This time, it was Kairi who spoke.

"The night before the battle, my unit was on a nearby planet making preparations. At some point during the night, several buildings exploded all at once, including four of the five barrack tents. The fifth one did catch fire, though some of the men were able to escape it alive. In the confusion that followed, many more explosions rocked the camp, along with an assortment of spells. We got ambushed by a group of dark side wielders, and their summons. Our entire camp was laid to waste." Marrik sighed heavily, staring at the fire. Kairi noticed a tear start to fall down his face, though he wiped it away quickly. "We weren't discovered until three days after the attack. By then, the battle, and the war, had ended. I was told that I was the only survivor. I'd decided that I was needed more on Alden than anywhere else, so I asked Mickey to not let anyone else know I'd survived."

"You ran from your responsibility to the other worlds in an effort to protect your own?" Sora wasn't quite believing his story.

"I wasn't aware at how devastating the battle had been to our side. Besides, I was fifteen at the time, and had seen and done more than most people three or four times my age. I was sick of the war, tired of the fighting, and ready to lay my blade down, one way or another." He looked at Sora specifically now. "Do remember, you've been fighting Heartless and Nobodies. I fought living, breathing people. There is a difference in the way it affects you."

"Uh, Marrik?" Riku's statement had a bit of an edge to it, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Yes, Riku, I know I'm getting sidetracked." Marrik smiled at him, and paused in his explanation for a minute. "After the war ended, I returned home and resumed studying magic, which is what I'd been doing before." He paused again. "Now, I should say that on Alden, just like everywhere else, politicians hold the diplomatic power. That said, those who have dedicated their lives to the study of magic were considered to be quite important as well, almost the religious caste, for lack of a better explanation."

Riku opened his mouth to interrupt again, but Marrik held up a hand to stop him before he could say anything. "The elite mages on Alden headed up the School of Magic where I studied. And they knew some very powerful spells. I'd begun to learn a few of them within the last few years. One of them is the ability to use dark corridors to warp around."

"You mean you could have escaped Alden at any time?" Donald was irritated by this idea. After all, if he could have left whenever he wanted, why did he wait until after the world was consumed?

Marrik apparently got the suggestion as he chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "No, I'm not practiced enough to open corridors between worlds. I can, however use them to travel quickly from one place to another within the world. For example, from here to that island over there." He nodded in the direction of the Paopu fruit island.

"Another spell I learned was one that only a few within Alden could pull off. And outside of Alden, I can only think of a couple of people who have the power to do it. Sorry, Your Majesty, but you're not one of them."

"Oh, I know I'm not. I've trained in magic, but I'm by no means a master of it." Marrik nodded to the king's comment.

"So, what's THAT ability?" Sora was beginning to get a bit impatient as well now.

Marrik looked at them, thinking for a minute. "Forgive me if I don't answer that question immediately, Sora. I need to add one more small piece of explanation first." When the chosen wielder nodded, Marrik continued. "Someone once said that when you meet another, your hearts become connected. This is true, my heart is connected to everyone I've met, just as yours is, Sora, and so is everyone else's. These connections form a very intricate web. The ability that I learned uses that web."

Marrik paused, making sure everyone was following along well enough. "I met the king several times during the War, and because of that, our hearts became connected. A few years ago, I learned how to tap into that connection and monitor those I was connected to."

"Monitor?" Goofy didn't get it, and from the looks of things, neither did most of the others sitting around the fire.

"Uh, look in on him, watch him." This explanation helped a little, but didn't quite clear it up. "I'll show you in a bit, when I'm done explaining." He paused again, regaining his thoughts. "I learned that I could use the connections within his heart to see how those he was connected to were doing. It took much more energy and concentration to do so, however, and I was unable to keep the monitoring up for more than an hour, but it was enough to know what was happening. It was through Mickey and his connection to Donald and Goofy that I was able to watch your adventures."

"So, you could see us. Why didn't you help us?" Donald seemed a bit irritated. Certainly, the help of another keyblade wielder would have been greatly welcomed.

"I couldn't, unfortunately." Marrik sighed as he admitted this. "It was like seeing it on a monitor, I couldn't interact with it, only watch it."

"You said you'd show us." Riku's statement was almost a question, but it got Marrik's attention.

"Yes, I suppose I can do that." He paused and looked at Sora. "How about we look in on your friends in Twilight Town?"

"You mean we can see how Hayner and the others are doing?" Sora's curiosity was infectious as Goofy and Donald were also excited about the opportunity.

"Sure, give me a minute, though." Sora nodded and Marrik smiled, before turning his attention to the rest of the group. "You may want to come over to this side of the fire." When everyone gathered around where Marrik, Sora, and Riku were sitting, the elder wielder closed his eyes. It seemed for a while like nothing was happening, but after about a minute, a small, fine mist started to form in the air in front of the group. Marrik winced slightly in his concentration, but the mist continued to form and pool, eventually taking shape. After about another minute, the mist exploded in energy, leaving behind a blank, ghostlike viewing monitor.

When it was formed, Marrik sighed heavily and opened his eyes. After a few seconds of looking at the screen, however, nothing happened. "What? Hey, you said you'd show us Hayner!" Donald quacked angrily at Marrik.

"I will, all I've done so far is summon the monitor to watch with. As I said, the spell I'm using takes a lot of energy and concentration. I need a few minutes to gather some energy to finish the spell." Donald nodded at Marrik's comment, and became quiet once more.

Marrik sighed once more, this time, though, he didn't close his eyes, and the screen flashed to life. On it, there appeared a multicolored, wavy image, similar to what could sometimes be seen while traveling between worlds in the Gummi ships. The wielder groaned slightly. "Damn."

"What is it?" Sora was slightly concerned.

"I'm having some trouble, that's all." Marrik winced slightly, and the screen shifted, a little static appearing along with the rainbows of color. "Shit." He sighed once more. "Since we just met, our bond isn't very strong yet, Sora. On top of that, I'm getting interference for some reason."

"So what's that mean?" Donald was once again getting irritated and impatient.

"I can't find them. I've found Twilight Town, but I can't find its residents."

"Can you search the town itself?" Mickey wasn't sure about this spell any more than the others. He'd heard of similar ones, but he had no idea the specifics of how this one worked.

"Yes, I can. Since the world is more familiar to all of you than the individuals within it, I should be able to find a specific spot within that world and go from there. Any specific spot you want me to try?"

"Gawrsh, maybe you should try the place Hayner and the others usually hang out at. It's called... uh..."

"The Usual Spot, you big palooka!" Donald waved his wand somewhat menacingly at Goofy's forgetfulness.

"That'll do." Marrik concentrated once more on the image, and eventually the various colors melted away into an actual image of the Spot. This image caused everyone present to gasp in awe, despite the fact that there was still some static.

"Oh, gosh, it really does work!" Even King Mickey was surprised and amazed.

"Yeah, but nobody's there. Can you search for them by going through the town systematically?" The concern Kairi had was evident in her voice.

"I should be able to." With that the image changed and shifted more to ground level, as if someone was walking around within the world. The image then moved forward and into the Back Alley.

"Oh, wow, that really is impressive." Marrik smirked at Riku's comment. With the knowledge of the Ansem Heartless buried within him, the elder wielder knew Riku knew more about dark magic, which this spell partially was, than anyone else in the group. As such, impressing him was quite an achievement.

"Thanks. Something's not quite right, though." Marrik looked at the image on the screen.

"Gawrsh, he's right, the image is off compared to what it normally is."

"Can you look around?"

"Just a second, Your Majesty." The screen shifted, turning to the left, and once again everyone gasped. Smoke was coming from the village, at least part of it was on fire. This caused everyone to gasp once again.

"What happened to the town?" Kairi's question was answered by the screen as several Shadows and Soldiers came running toward it. They passed by the screen, and the image turned to follow them, as they headed toward the Sandlot.

Once there, the group saw many more Heartless. All of them were the weaker varieties, Shadows and Soldiers, but their sheer numbers were nearly overwhelming. And in the center of the Sandlot, standing back to back, were both Seifer's gang and Hayner's.

"We have to help them!" Sora was immediately on his feet.

"He's right. Twilight Town's only about an hour's flight from here, we should be able to get there in time." Mickey was ready to leave as well, but Marrik stopped them.

"With all due respect, my ship can only carry two more in addition to myself. I assume yours is similar."

"Ours is designed for three people, yes. We only have three bedrooms and three chairs, but there's plenty of room on the floor for one or two extra people." Mickey considered this for a second, before adding, "Either way, we'll need to split up. Sora, Kairi, you go with Marrik. Riku, you can ride with Donald, Goofy, and myself."

"Yes, Your Majes... err, Mickey." Riku immediately ran over to the king and his close friends. Sora and Kairi, however, weren't as enthusiastic about this arrangement.

"Why do we have to ride with HIM? What if he tries something again?" Sora was obviously not happy about this.

"I don't know if it helps, Sora, but I have neither the need nor the desire to injure you any more. Besides, I have other things to tend to, an keeping you and the Princess alive works to my advantage."

Though he wouldn't admit it, that comment did make Sora feel more at ease. "All right, let's go."

Marrik nodded and produced a small remote from one of his pockets. Hitting a few buttons, the three disappeared in flashes of light.

"I suppose we'd better get going as well, huh?" Riku sighed slightly. This wasn't how he'd envisioned the day ending.

"Yes, we should." Mickey produced a similar remote, and the four of them likewise disappeared in flashes.

_A/N: Yes, technically, they didn't do much as far as starting the journey this chapter. Sorry about that. I decided to split this chapter in two, with their trip to Twilight Town in the next one. As such, the next two chapters will be much more action oriented as the gang tries to take care of the Heartless there._

_As always, PLEASE review and comment. It's nice to know I'm doing a good job... or even a shitty one._


	5. The Path to Twilight

_A/N: Wow, long time, no update, huh? Sorry about the delay, I've been working on my Zelda story while having writers block on this one._

_All right, more KH goodness. I tried my best to sneak in a bit of a boss fight at the end of this chapter, though I'm not sure how well I did in that regard. Nonetheless, this was an interesting chapter to write, and it reminded me of the need to split these characters up eventually. Trying to get seven characters to all have decent face time in the story is just confusing._

_Yes, I focused on Marrik's ship in this chapter, and I'll probably tend to continue to focus on his adventures, as he's the character I identify with most, being my own creation. To some extent, this will be as much his story as it is Sora and company's. That said, once they DO split up, I will give all points as much attention as I can._

_Also, I haven't yet picked out a name for Marrik's ship. I have no problem taking suggestions, though, and in fact, I WELCOME them!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own this, I'd like to own it, though..._

**Chapter 5 – The Path to Twilight**

Sora, Kairi, and Marrik appeared on the bridge of Marrik's Gummi ship. "Oh wow, this thing looks... old." Sora commented as he looked around the ship.

"Yes, it is old. Older than I am, in fact. But it's also been well taken care of and it boasts the best Gummi technology on Alden. It'll hold its own in a fight." Marrik was already sitting in the center seat, the pilot's seat. Kairi took the seat on his left, and Sora the one on his right.

The cockpit was rather small, there was just enough room for the three chairs and the three computer consoles that stretched across the front. The entire system had been modified so that one person could control everything, and Marrik was busy working on the computer, releasing the locks on the other two consoles. It looked a bit odd, with much of the ship appearing to be quite old, though it was obvious that parts of it had been replaced or repaired.

"There are three small rooms at the other end of the hall there." Marrik pointed behind them, to a door at the back of the room. "There's a bathroom on the right and a kitchen on the left. Do be warned, though, they are by no means luxurious."

"This isn't a pleasure cruise, Marrik." Kairi smiled at him. "I think I can handle it."

"Good to hear, Princess."

"Please, you don't need to be so formal. Kairi's fine." Marrik nodded at her statement, smiling. At that point, the two consoles lit up.

"All right, Sora, you have weapons control. Kairi, I'm going to have you do communications."

"No problem, Marrik." It wasn't long before a light started blinking on Kairi's console, along with it beeping. "Oh, uh, what's that mean?"

"Someone's trying to communicate with us. Hang on." Marrik hit a few buttons on the main console, and the beeping and flashing stopped. "I forgot to open up the comm frequencies. Mickey was trying to contact us and it was being blocked. The red button in the center, the one that was flashing, will send out a comm request. Push it and we should be able to talk to the other ship, like if we were on the phone."

"Oh, all right." Kairi smiled and pushed the button. After a few seconds, the group got a response.

"Everything all right over there?" It was Mickey.

"Yeah, sorry, had comms shut off." Marrik sighed slightly. "There isn't much need for them when you're by yourself, and you don't leave as much of a trail."

"Yup, if you don't want anyone tracking you and you don't need to use them, shutting off your comm systems is a good way to sneak around." Goofy's statement caused Sora and Marrik to chuckle slightly.

"How is everything, other than that?" Mickey chimed back in.

"Well, I have almost no food or other supplies, but that can wait until we get to Twilight. We're ready to go whenever you are."

"Good to hear. It'll take almost an hour to get to Twilight Town from here, and odds are we'll have to fight for the right to land there. It won't hurt to teach them how to use the systems while you have the chance."

"I planned to, Mickey. You know the way better than I do, I'll follow you."

"Roger that. Highwind out." And the communication link cut. Outside, the Highwind began to move, and Marrik took the controls of his ship, steering it into formation behind the king's transport. After a few seconds, a hole opened up in space in front of the two ships, and the Highwind and Marrik's ship both headed into the corridor beyond. The elder wielder hit a few buttons once they were in the corridor, then sighed, sitting back in his chair.

"So what happens when we want to talk to them again?" Kairi was already wanting to learn about her job.

Marrik couldn't help but smile at her eagerness to learn. "The ships have an open line between each other now. Hit the green button on the left that's marked '1', it'll automatically hail them." Kairi looked at the console, and along the left side were ten green buttons, all numbered. "If they want to speak to us, they'll send us a hail and that button will begin flashing. Hit it to open up the channel. Hit it again to close it."

"Sounds easy." Sora remarked with a noticeable sarcasm in his voice.

"Truth be told, her job IS easy. Yours will be a bit more difficult, but you've done it before during your previous adventures. This ship's systems may be a bit different, but the general layout is still the same. You shouldn't have much trouble getting used to the controls." Sora nodded and the elder master returned to navigating.

The trip was quite easy for the first forty minutes. As they approached Twilight Town, however, the green button lit up. Kairi hit it immediately.

"Careful, guys. We're picking up several ships ahead." It was Mickey once again.

"All right, Your Majesty. We'll get ready." Kairi smiled and nodded to Sora, who was already working on bringing the weapons systems online. After a few seconds, there was the sound of something powering up and a screen on Sora's console became active.

"Oh, wow. This is pretty up to date." Sora was actually surprised, and his voice showed it.

"Thanks." Marrik glanced back at the chosen wielder and smiled slightly, before going back to piloting.

"So, what do we have for weapons?"

"For now all there are are the laser cannons under the wings. They rotate a full 360 degrees and are comparable to most other Gummi ship cannons. There is a switch on the console to the left of your aiming stick that controls auto-fire. If it is active, holding the fire button will send out a stream of shots. If it's inactive, you'll charge a larger shot instead. This ship is also equipped to fire missiles, though my stock is currently empty."

"Wow, you really weren't prepared for a fight, were you?" At Marrik's glare, Sora cowered into his seat a little. "Sorry."

"It's all right. Besides, to some extent, you're correct. I never stocked back up before I left home, and what little I did have I used in getting here. I'm surprised I haven't run out of fuel yet."

"Don't jinx it, please?" Kairi scolded him.

Marrik smiled. "We should have enough to get to Twilight. I'll need to restock and refuel there though, otherwise we may not make it away." Any further conversation was cut off by all three consoles suddenly beeping and capturing the riders' attentions. "Here they come!"

Indeed several Heartless ships had come out to greet the two Gummis, and were already firing at both ships. The Highwind laid down strafing fire that caught several of the Heartless, and Sora finished those off, wounding a few more with his own fire. The remaining ships turned and made for another pass, the wounded ones being a bit slower. This time the two Gummis finished off the remaining squad.

"Good work, but that was just the beginning." Mickey's comment surprised Kairi, as she didn't realize their radios were still open. She went to close them, but Marrik stopped her.

"We'll need to send information back and forth. Leave them open until we arrive. Give them updates on our status."

"Gawrsh, Marrik's right, Kairi. We'll need to stay in contact while fighting so that we don't get in each other's way." Another wave began to attack at this point, forcing them to become quiet once more as they concentrated on shooting down their enemies.

"Marrik, ten o' clock." Sora's comment was heard by Marrik who nodded and moved the ship so that it crossed over the Highwind, aiming for a group of enemies trying to flank the King's vessel as it took care of others on the opposite side.

"Thanks, guys." Mickey's voice was again heard.

"Watch your backs!" Donald's had a bit of urgency, and with good reason as several enemy ships came at the two Gummis at full speed, forcing the pair to take evasive maneuvers.

"Woah! That was too close!" Kairi looked to have been made a little uncomfortable by the sudden movement.

"Sorry, though you might want to get used to that. In battle sometimes you'll need to move quickly, and without warning." Marrik turned the ship to right it and rejoin the Highwind. The enemy squad that had forced them to separate was now in between them, and getting wiped out from both sides.

"Left side, Sora." Another set of enemies was attempting to come in while the group was distracted. Sora began firing that way and Marrik moved out of the oncoming ship's path, causing the newcomers to join what was left of the original group, and both were soon cut down completely. Soon enough, the enemies were cleared out and the path ahead was empty. This didn't make Marrik any more comfortable, though, and both his co-pilots noticed.

"What's wrong?" Marrik looked at Sora, who'd asked.

"I don't know. It shouldn't have been this easy." Suddenly an explosion occurred nearby, causing the whole ship to shake as alarms began going off.

"Incoming!" Donald's one word was a bit late in arriving, as a larger ship came down at the pair from above.

"Ah, there it is." Marrik smirked slightly.

"There what is?" Sora looked at it curiously, readying the weapons to fire.

"The squad leader. We'll need to take it out in order to land safely." Mickey's voice answered as the Highwind opened fire. In addition to the cannons, which Sora had noted were a little more powerful than those on Marrik's ship, the Highwind was using missiles as well. Sighing at his poor luck, Sora opened fire with is own missiles. The command ship responded by using its numerous cannons to fire back at the two much smaller ships. Thankfully, the two pilots were seasoned and able to avoid most of the shots.

It seemed like it took forever, but in reality it was only a few minutes before the Heartless ship began smoking. Sora noted that the laser fire had become less oppressive as well, seeing that many of the cannons had been destroyed by their own. Though the ship looked damaged, it was by no means done for, and Marrik knew this. "We're heading for the cockpit, Your Majesty. Cover us."

"Roger that." Riku's voice answered, surprising everyone. Apparently he was the one handling communications on their ship at the moment, though why he'd been quiet until now, nobody knew.

Marrik moved his ship into position, and opened fire on the cockpit area of the ship. At first it appeared that the damage done to the sides had caused the cockpit to be undefended, but this was only a ruse. As soon as they opened fire on it, several cannons appeared nearby, firing missiles at the ship.

"Damn, they've upgraded." Marrik cursed as he tried to dodge the missiles. Some of them managed to damage the ship, however, by exploding nearby. The Highwind came to the rescue, as promised, firing at the missile launchers and clearing a path for Sora to assault the cockpit once more.

And so the battle went, Sora would fire at the cockpit, causing the Heartless ship to fire missiles which Marrik would have to dodge. In turn, the Highwind would fire at the launchers, damaging and eventually destroying them one by one. When the missiles weren't firing, they were hidden behind panels on the ship, protecting them. When they were firing, the cockpit was protected by the panels. It took several minutes of this, but eventually, the Heartless command ship began to explode within itself, sinking into the depths of the hyperspace corridor they were all traveling in.

"All right, we did it!" Kairi cheered their success, as the two ships sped away from the still exploding wreckage.

"Yes, we did, but that was just a taste of what's to come." Marrik's comment was friendly enough, despite being slightly scolding.

"Don't worry, though, Kairi. We'll get through it, all of us, together." Sora smiled to the princess, which caused her to giggle.

"I think we'll all agree to that one." Riku was smiling on the other ship, and both of his friends knew it.

"Gawrsh, Donald, isn't it a nice moment?"

"Aww, ya big palooka!" Donald seemed a bit irritated at Goofy's comment, and this caused everyone to start laughing, until the consoles beeped again.

"We're nearing our destination." Mickey's comment was quickly acknowledged by Marrik.

"Preparing to return to normal space." Hitting several buttons, the ships did return to regular space, and in front of them was Twilight Town. "Entering Twilight Town orbit and and searching for a warp point." The console beeped after a minute. "Found one, ready to head into the town."

"Got it, too, Marrik. Ready to go lend a hand?"

"Sure, Your Majesty."

"All right, let's go help our friends!" Sora smiled and headed for the warp device. It was obvious he was eager to go find Hayner and the others, before it was too late.

_A/N: There we go, another chapter down. Next up, a fight in Twilight, and a reunion of friends._

_As I said at the start, I'm taking suggestions for Marrik's ship's name. I'll also have another ship, belonging to someone from Marrik's past, that'll need a name._

_As always, please review and comment, so that I know my work is actually being enjoyed by someone other than me!_


	6. The First Encounter

_A/N: Another new chapter. This will be the first real fight sequence, and sets in motion a few minor plot ideas. They'll be on Twilight Town for at LEAST three chapters after this one._

_I should mention that it was brought to my attention from a reviewer that I failed to mention before now that I haven't played Birth by Sleep or Coded. Also, this story was started before Coded came out, which doesn't really help anything._

_Disclaimer: Nope, no ownership here._

**Chapter 6 – The First Encounter**

Sora, Kairi, and Marrik arrived inside the Usual Spot. Sora was quick to head for the exit but Marrik grabbed him and stopped him. "We should wait for the others. Charging in blindly could lead to more problems." Sora paused to consider the elder's comments, and finally yielded, nodding.

"You're right. Besides, if we all go together we'll be that much more formidable." This brought a slight smirk to Marrik's features, as he nodded his confirmation to Sora's words.

The other four arrived only a few seconds later. "Wow." Riku commented, walking around. "I'd forgotten how accurate DiZ's computer simulation was to the real thing." The comment caught a glare from Sora, and Riku realized that Roxas was still not extremely happy about that part of what he'd been through. "Sorry."

"Well, we better see how Hayner and the others are holding up, shouldn't we?"

As Mickey was speaking Sora was already looking outside. "Coast is clear, though it looks like it's worse than it was before."

"Let's go, then." Riku stood behind Sora and both of them led the group out of the hideout.

The Back Alley was quiet, which was somewhat expected. When they'd looked earlier, it appeared that most of the Heartless were in the Tram Common or the Sandlot. Riku, Sora, and Marrik went to the Sandlot, with Kairi joining the King, Donald and Goofy in ridding the Common of Heartless.

As they'd seen before, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi found that Twilight Town's Tram Common area was currently home to numerous Shadows and Soldier Heartless. Immediately brandishing their weapons, the four leaped into the battle, systematically clearing the Commons of Heartless. Thankfully, despite the numbers, the Heartless were relatively spread out, so the heroes didn't get overwhelmed.

"Ah, there's just no end to these guys!" Seifer was standing, just barely, with his back to Hayner, the two, and their respective gangs, had been fighting the Heartless all night, and they were reaching the point of exhaustion.

"No kidding. Every time we beat one, another takes it's place!" Hayner was also almost too weak to stand. He took a moment to look around, and was saddened by what he saw. The human warriors were about to fall over from exhaustion, and the Heartless looked like they were just getting started.

"Sleep." Fuu was leaning against the wall, almost unable to keep her weapon up. Nearby, Ollette was in a similar state. Pence and Rai weren't much better, though Rai seemed to be slightly more willing to continue. The Heartless continued their relentless attack, and Pence and Rai were finally thrown against the wall, near Fuu and Ollette.

"Damn!"

"Fuu!" Both Seifer and Hayner had seen their friends fall, and hurriedly ran to their aid, trying to protect them from being taken by the Dark creatures. They were prepared to fight to the end to save their friends.

Suddenly several lightning bolts crashed down into the advancing Heartless mob, causing all the creatures to stop in their tracks and surprising the two humans who were still standing. The Heartless all turned in unison toward the opposite end of the Sandlot. That's when Hayner saw them. "Sora!"

Sora nodded to Hayner. "Looks like you guys could use a hand or two." He smiled and jumped right into the Heartless mob, starting to carve up the shadow creatures. Riku and Marrik exchanged looks and jumped in after Sora.

Mickey, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy had nearly cleared out the Tram Commons area when Kairi noticed several Heartless heading for an opened gate. "Hey, guys, what's in there?" She gestured to the gate.

"That leads to the Underground Concorse. It connects to all the other areas of Twilight Town.!" Donald was a bit excited to see the gate was open and immediately headed for it.

"Wait, the Heartless were heading in there!" Kairi began running after him. Mickey and Goofy, noticing that the Commons area was cleared out, gave chase as well.

Sora had taken position near Hayner and Seifer, keeping Heartless away from the non-wielders. Riku and Marrik were right in the middle of the Heartless mob, slashing away at the dark creatures. It had to have been at least thirty minutes since they'd entered the fight, and it seemed as if there were just as many Heartless now as there were when they started. "Geez, where are they all coming from?"

"I don't know, Riku, but I'm surprised there's this many on one world. If I didn't know better I'd say they wanted something other than the Heart of the World here." Marrik's response didn't settle anyone down.

"Like what?" Sora questioned as he slashed a few more away.

"I don't know, unfortunately." Marrik shrugged as he slashed at a Shadow, only to have it disappear into the ground on him. This elicited a groan of frustration from the elder wielder.

"Your Keyblade's too heavy, they're able to avoid it because you can't swing it fast enough." Riku pointed out to his companion.

"Yeah, you're right. Thankfully, that's something that is easily corrected." Marrik smirked, and Riku heard a metallic click. Immediately after, Marrik pulled apart the two keyblades, turning them into two one-handed weapons, rather than one large two-handed one.

"Impressive."

"Thanks." Marrik then spun around, knocking several Heartless into the air. Riku followed up Marrik's attack with a magic attack of his own that obliterated the Shadows and Soldiers. "That's pretty good yourself."

Riku nodded and the two went back to slaying their own Heartless.

Kairi breathed heavily as they made their way through the tunnels. They'd fought several waves of Heartless as they made their way through, and had now entered a fairly open area of the tunnels. Donald handed her a small blue vial, telling her it would help restore her energy. She'd taken it and been refreshed, but it seemed like the refreshment didn't last as long as she'd hoped.

"Come on, we're almost to Sunset Terrace!" Donald and Goofy ran for the exit, with Mickey and Kairi following behind.

Much like the others halfway across the town, Sora, Riku, and Marrik were beginning to tire. All three of them had exhausted their potions and elixirs by now, but the Heartless were still endlessly coming into the Sandlot.

Sora was still defending his friends, and was occupied with a large group of Soldiers that was attacking from his left. Because of this, the right side of the formation was left unguarded, and a Shadow slipped past Sora, intent on taking Seifer's heart. Seifer saw it coming, but too late to pick up his dropped weapon to defend himself. "Seifer!" Hayner screamed out, pushing his rival out of the way and taking the Shadow's slash himself. Hayner screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground.

"Hayner?" Seifer couldn't believe what had happened. He stared in shock at his enemy's limp form. The Shadow went to finish the fallen boy off, but disappeared into mist before he could do so. A keyblade was suddenly stuck in the wall near Rai's collapsed body for a few seconds, before disappearing back into the hand of Marrik.

Suddenly, a barrier formed in front of Seifer and the others, essentially sealing them off from the massive battle going on. Seifer didn't notice, though. His mind was consumed with confusion as to why Hayner, of all people, would have saved him.

"AH!" Donald screamed in frustration as he missed a particular Shadow Heartless for at least the sixth time. The group had cleared out the Sunset Terrace area and was now on Sunset Hill. Donald was growing frustrated because, in addition to being near exhaustion, the Shadow he was trying to hit was spending more time wandering around as a puddle on the ground than actually fighting.

Goofy had used one of his shield attacks to get several Heartless bunched together, while Mickey rained down a Thunder spell on them. Kairi, for her part, was keeping up well, managing to take out several Heartless with a series of strikes. And suddenly, the four were alone on the hilltop.

"Gawrsh, is that all of them?"

"I hope so. I don't know how much longer I can keep up." Donald sighed as he looked around. Seeing no enemies, he let himself relax a little, but he noticed the King wasn't. "Something wrong, Your Majesty?"

"It's not over yet. They're regrouping." Mickey nodded to the path leading to the hill, where several dozen Shadows were amassing to attack once more. This realization brought about a sigh from Kairi, as she readied her Keyblade.

Suddenly, all the Shadows and Soldiers warped away in Corridors of Darkness. This move surprised everyone on the Hill, as they all looked at each other. "What? Where'd they go!" Donald seemed more annoyed than anyone, though everyone was a little relieved.

"I'm not sure, Donald, but we should go check on the others." Mickey's comment caused his companions to all seem to acquire a newfound source of energy as they all stood up and headed back toward the Terrace. "Do those tunnels lead to the Sandlot?"

"Sure do! Follow me!" Goofy commented as he ran off into the tunnel.

"You're gonna get yourself lost, Goofy!" Donald chased after him again. Mickey and Kairi laughed a little at the two friends, before running to catch up to them.

"Hey, what happened!" Sora commented as he and Riku looked around in confusion. Just seconds earlier the Sandlot was full of Heartless, but suddenly all of them disappeared into Corridors of Darkness.

"Maybe they had enough of us?" Riku shrugged his response.

"No, they were sent away." Marrik seemed to be contemplating something. "But... why? How?"

"HAYNER!" Ollette had awakened as Sora and the others had finished their fight, and noticed Hayner's injured body. Her scream caught everyone's attention, and Marrik quickly dispelled the shield protecting the group from the Heartless as they all ran over to the boy.

"He's alive." Riku had arrived first and was checking him out. "He's lucky."

"They're both lucky. If Hayner hadn't pushed Seifer, it'd be him lying there, not Hayner. And Seifer'd be missing his heart." Marrik stood a bit away, glancing at Seifer, who hadn't moved since being pushed. The teen was in a daze, lost in thought, as Marrik knelt beside him. "Hey, wake up." Marrik shook the other man, causing him to snap out of his daze and stare at Marrik in shock and confusion.

"He... why?"

Marrik simply shook his head. "Are you all right?" Seifer nodded slowly, but it was obvious his mind was somewhere else. "Can you help us get the others out of here?"

"I... yeah, I think so." Marrik helped Seifer up and, they both looked at Hayner. "Will he survive?"

"I don't know. Possibly." Marrik shrugged slightly. "We need to get him somewhere safer so that we can look him over better." He turned to Sora and Olette, who were still looking him over carefully. "Can any of you find something to carry him with?"

"I'll go look." Riku commented before running off.

Ollette sobbed as she took Hayner's hand in her own, holding it. Though neither would admit it, they considered themselves to be dating. This had become a bit of a joke for Pence over the last couple months. Now, she sat there with her boyfriend seriously wounded defending not just her and Pence, but their bitter rivals as well. She was so consumed with worry that she didn't hear or see anything except Hayner until she jumped when Marrik touched her shoulder. "What?"

"I asked if you're all right."

"Oh, I'm... fine. Just tired." Marrik nodded to her. He knew that she was emotionally a wreck at the moment, but there wasn't much that could be done for that.

"Geez, you guys didn't travel too far from where we left, did you?" Everyone's attention, save Seifer and Ollette, turned toward the sound of the new voice. Kairi and the other group had emerged from the tunnels, looking around. From their vantage point, however, Hayner was hidden from their view. That didn't stop them from immediately noticing the slightly somber mood. "Something wrong?"

Sora didn't say a word, but simply stepped aside, revealing the fallen boy. This caught a gasp from all of the new arrivals. "Oh no, Hayner." Kairi ran up to the group, kneeling next to them. "Why hasn't someone used a Cure spell on him yet?"

"Not enough energy left, unfortunately." Marrik sighed. "And we used all of our elixirs in the battle."

Kairi sighed as well. "So did we. Guess we'll have to let him heal on his own, at least for now."

"So what happened?" King Mickey was speaking to Sora slightly away from the others.

"The area was flooded with Heartless. It was an endless stream. Hayner took one meant for Seifer." He glanced toward the two. "I... don't know if he'll survive."

Mickey nodded. "If we can get him somewhere comfortable and patch up the wounds, he should. It doesn't look like there's any internal damage." Donald and Goofy had begun checking on the others, though none of them were injured, only exhausted. The king let out an uncharacteristic sigh of frustration at the scene.

"Why were there so many, Mickey? Usually that many only appear in an invasion force, but these were targeted to this area."

"I don't know, Sora. And I don't know why they suddenly left, either." The King turned his attention back to the Chosen Wielder. It was obvious by looking at him that Mickey was just as unsure as everyone else. "I can only think of one who would know, but I don't know if seeing him right now is a good idea or not."

Though they may not have been aware of it, Marrik had heard every word the two had said. He winced slightly at Mickey's comment, knowing that it was directed at him. Truth be told, he knew that eventually, they'd need to speak to the man Mickey had referenced. He actually wanted to speak to the man too.

At that point, Riku returned with a large cart. Marrik, Sora, and Riku loaded Hayner onto the cart and began wheeling him toward the exit to the Sandlot. It was decided to bring everyone to the Usual Spot since it was relatively close. With that decision made, those who were awake helped those who were unconscious to the designated spot. Seifer brought up the rear of the group, still seeming to be in a daze.

_A/N: Well, this was a bit more difficult to write than I thought it would be. I had initially considered focusing on the group in the Sandlot, but in the end, I decided to show what Kairi's group was doing as well. I hope it came out all right._

_So, next chapter will be fall out from this fight, and, hopefully, I'll get to the morning after._

_I would assume that anyone who's a fan of Kingdom Hearts knows who I'm talking about the group visiting. And I do have a few more things in store, as well as one or two I'm undecided on._

_At any rate, please review and comment._


	7. Healing

_A/N: Did you like the fight last time? I hope so, I have more of those planned, though the next time I probably won't be jumping around quite as much. Actually, the next real fight I have planned will PROBABLY be a training session in a couple of chapters._

_So, this chapter will cover the aftermath of the fight, up until the group goes to sleep for the evening. The next one will pick up the next morning with the gang waking up._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I do claim Marrik and the other O/C's._

**Chapter 7 – Healing**

The group sat Hayner down on a makeshift bed in the Usual Spot, before tending to his wounds. Pence, Fuu,and Rai were also sat down in the best places their friends could find. Kairi and Donald got to work trying to stop Hayner's bleeding, as Ollette watched in teary-eyed horror.

After about five minutes of working, Donald groaned in frustration. "Gah, if only we had another elixir!"

Ollette's head shot up at the request. "Elixir?" She got up and walked over to a bookshelf. Once there, she moved a book, revealing a small blue vial. "This was left here some time ago, will it help?" It was obvious that she was so concerned about her boyfriend's condition that she hadn't even noticed who it was that was helping her.

"Ah, that'll give me enough energy to at least close the wounds!" Donald snatched the vial out of Ollette's hands and drank it down. "Ah... ugh!" He shuddered, the horrible taste suddenly hitting him. "Cure!" His hands glowed green and Hayner's wounds began to close. As they did, Ollette visibly relaxed, sighing as her tiredness caught back up with her.

"Ollette?" Suddenly her name was spoken by someone who she couldn't see. Snapping out of her daze as she looked around, she finally realized who was speaking to her.

"Kairi!" Ollette's expression wasa a mixture of shock and confusion, which quickly shifted to happiness as she got up and hugged the Princess. "You're alive! How did you...?"

Kairi giggled, then glanced toward the entrance. Ollette followed her gaze and saw. "Sora, Donald, Goofy!" She ran over and hugged each of the three of them. "I take it you were successful?"

"Well, for the most part. We got rid of the Organization and found our friends, though obviously, the Heartless are still causing problems." Sora commented almost apologetically about the Heartless, though he was proud of the success the three of them had had in defeating Xenmas and rescuing Kairi.

"Speaking of friends, this is Riku." Goofy motioned to the silver-haired teen, who nodded to Ollette. "And this here's King Mickey."

"King?" Ollette looked at the mouse a bit curiously, then knelt before him "Your Majesty. It is an honor."

"Aww, shucks, thanks, Ollette." Mickey smiled to the girl. "But you don't need to bow to me, not right now anyway."

"Yes, sir." Ollette smiled and stood up, then looked around, taking stock in the others in the room. "I take it you're responsible for this?"

"We arrived in time to help, yes." Mickey commented almost as if they hadn't done much of anything.

"Thanks for that." She paused for a minute as she noticed something. "Rai and Fuu are here, but where's Seifer?"

"Actually, where's Merrik?" Donald's question seemed to be one of annoyance and mistrust, something which didn't go unnoticed by the others in the room. Everyone knew that Merrik had entered the spot, he'd helped get Hayner on the bed. Nobody recalled Seifer ever entering, however.

Seifer was outside in the Back Alley, looking at the still smoking area of the town in the distance as he leaned against a railing. He was startled from his thoughts as Marrik approached. "What do you want?"

"Me? I'm just wondering what you're thinking about. You've been in a bit of a daze since Hayner saved you."

Seifer sighed slightly and looked back at the town. Marrik took the opportunity to join him against the rail as he waited for the young man's answer. "I just don't know why he did it."

"Oh." Marrik smiled slightly and turned his attention to Seifer. "Would you have done the same if the positions were reversed?"

Seifer looked at Marrik with a slight confused expression on his face. As he realized what Marrik had asked, he frowned and turned back to staring at the town. "I don't know."

"Hmm." Marrik looked ahead once more as well. "Well, I don't know you or Hayner very well, and most of what I do know is through Sora's interactions with you. That said, I can say one thing for sure."

"And what's that?" Seifer didn't seem to interested in the answer, though he did ask the question.

"You two are much more alike than either of you would like to admit." Seifer glared at him, which in turned gained a slight chuckle from the keyblade wielder. "You want what's best for Twilight Town, right?"

"Yes." Seifer wasn't sure where Marrik was going with his comments, but he had to admit, he was curious now.

"Hayner does too." Marrik sighed slightly, shaking his head. "You two both want Twilight Town to survive and prosper, and you'll both do whatever you can to insure that happens. The problem is, you two have different ideas as to what _is_ best for Twilight Town, and that's the source of most of your conflict."

Seifer considered Marrik's statement. It still didn't answer his question, and both men knew it. Before the young man could ask, Marrik continued. "The reason he saved you is that, although you two disagree on what's best for the Town, when it comes down to it, you are on the same side. And, I believe that despite the animosity you two have, there is also a respect there." Marrik paused, looking at Seifer. "I also believe that if you two could put aside your differences and work together, you could do great things here."

Seifer had to admit, this stranger was speaking the truth. He was a bit surprised that he hadn't noticed these facts before now, they were quite obvious, now that they were pointed out to him. He sighed, looking down. "Where do we start?"

Marrik chuckled again. "That is a question that only you and he can answer. All I or anyone else can do in that area is give you advice. It'll be up to you to take it. But, that can wait. You should get some rest, like the others are."

Seifer started to say something, but was interrupted by the appearance of Riku. "Hey, Mickey wants you both to come back to the Spot." The two looked at each other and decided to follow the silver-haired wielder.

"Oh, you didn't kill him?" Donald was still obviously not trusting Marrik. The King simply sighed and shook his head, while the subject of the Court Magician's ire chose to ignore him.

"So, what's going on, Your Majesty?"

"Oh, well, I was going to ask Ollette and Seifer what happened before we arrived. Maybe knowing that can help determine what they were after and why they suddenly left."

"Gawrsh, you still don't think they were after the Heart of the world?" It was rare that Goofy questioned his King, but everyone had to admit, it did seem odd that the Heartless would be after anything else.

"Normally I'd say yes, but in this case, I think something else drew them here. They wouldn't have come in that many numbers otherwise."

"He may be right, Goofy. There were a lot more Heartless here and in the space surrounding the Town than there should have been if they were simply invading. There wasn't that much of a Heartless presence on Hollow Bastion when Maleficient was using it as her base!" Riku would know, he was there when the evil sorceress controlled Kairi's homeworld.

"So, what happened, then?" Sora asked the locals somewhat calmly.

"Well, Hayner, Pence and I were heading to the train to go to our homes downtown when the first explosions occurred." Ollette spoke up first. "We were told that one of the explosions took out the track and that it'd be morning at the earliest before it could be repaired and usable."

"We were about ready to head back into the Town ourselves when the attack began." Seifer spoke up now.

"Wait, there's more to the town than the areas we've seen?" Sora didn't seem to get it right away.

"Oh, yeah. This area is a newer section of the town. Most of the town is protected by a wall with some old writings on it. The Heartless can't penetrate that wall, for some reason. But the protection can't be extended out here, nobody knows how." Seifer spoke as if it was common knowledge. Then again, to those who lived in Twilight Town their entire lives, it probably was. "There's also a beach that the train makes runs too every morning and evening during the warmer months."

"It's a bit ironic that the areas that fall outside the protection of the walls are Twilight Town's most popular tourist destinations." Ollette smiled sheepishly. "At any rate, we all got stranded out here, watching as the city exploded from some sort of energy blasts from the sky."

"Heartless ships attacking from space?" Kairi's question had an uneasy tone to it. This worried the foreigners, though only Marrik didn't seem surprised by this. "Why would they do that?"

"It's a new tactic they've developed for use in areas that they don't think they can tackle otherwise. It's something they used on my system." Marrik's comment was slightly bitter. "They do it to soften up the target's defenses, or to distract it from the real threat." He shrugged slightly. "I don't know why they used it here though. No offense, but there's not much of a threat to them on this world and nothing nearby that would be worth paying attention to."

"They seemed content to run around out here, I don't think they were trying to enter the town itself." Ollette nodded her agreement to Seifer's words. "Even their aerial attack was well away from the walls."

"The airborne assault did do one thing to help them, though. It cut off the part of the world they could land on from the part they couldn't. In essence, it cut off any assistance that would normally have come out here to help repel them." Sora seemed to realize the potential of such a move. "If, like Mickey said, they were looking for something besides the Heart, and if they knew approximately where it was, it would be a sound strategy to isolate the area."

"Gawrsh, but the only notable feature of this world that would be of interest to them would be..." Goofy suddenly got quiet as realization dawned on him. At the same time, it seemed to occur to all of the other non-natives.

"We gotta go check on him!" Donald started racing for the exit, but was blocked by Marrik. "Outta my way, you big palooka!"

"Donald, as eager as you are to check on him, you can't get there if his train's not in the station." Donald paused at Marrik's words. He suddenly remembered that he thought he'd seen the train leaving the station while they were on the Hill right after all the Heartless disappeared.

"We still need to check!" Donald pushed Marrik out of the way and stormed toward the station at the top of the hill. Everyone who could quickly followed the enraged duck.

As he'd feared, when the group arrived at the station, the train was nowhere in sight. Sighing in annoyance Donald left the station, heading back to the Spot. Mickey spoke up as his friend walked past. "Hey, it should be here in the morning. We can go then."

Donald looked at the King and suddenly seemed to have become quite happy. "Oh boy! We can go see Yen Sid tomorrow!" In his enthusiasm, he managed to step back into Marrik, who was heading back himself. "Ah... Hey, watch where you're going!"

"I know where I'm going. Do you?" Marrik smiled at the two. Mickey caught the slight teasing tone in Marrik's voice, but Donald was too worked up to notice.

"Huh, Hey, why you..." Donald started to charge up a spell, but the attempt fizzled out before he could fire it off. "Aww, I'm out of juice."

"Yeah, come on. Let's all go get some rest." Mickey commented as he led the group out of the station and back to the Spot. Once everyone had left, a purple colored train pulled into the station.

_A/N: Well, I hadn't planned on spoiling the fun by telling who the group was looking for, but I'm pretty sure if you're reading this, you probably already guessed. And yes, he will appear next chapter... probably. It'll depend on how far I go with it. Obviously next chapter will be the group getting on the train, but I'm not sure how much beyond that I'm going to go._

_As always, please review and comment._


	8. To the Tower

_A/N: Hey everyone! I have a new chapter for you! I decided to put at least the first half of the chapter from Hayner's perspective, simply because it's through him that we're getting some rehashed ideas and minor plot points._

_Wow, I didn't realize I had forgotten to post Chapter 7, so this time you get a two for one deal!_

_Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts? Nope, don't own it._

**Chapter 8 – To the Tower**

"Ugh..." Hayner groaned as he woke up. He realized that he was laying face d own on something that was softer than the ground in the Sandlot. "Am I dead?" He really didn't expect an answer to his question, and almost jumped when he heard a voice behind him.

"No, you're not. Though, it's not for a lack of trying." Hayner tried to move so he could see the person speaking and winced immediately when pain shot up his right side. "Lay down, Hayner, and try not to move too much. Your wounds have been partially healed, but they'll still be sore, and might break open once again if you don't."

Hayner sighed and laid back down, taking the time to look around. He realized that he was in the Uusal Spot, and that Pence, Fuu, and Rai were all asleep in various parts of the room. He also realized that it was dark out, and most of the lights in the room had been shut off. "What happened? Who are you?" Another thought occurred to him almost immediately, which suddenly made him panic. "Where's Ollette?"

"Your girlfriend is safe. She's upstairs, asleep. Took a bit of work to convince her to leave you, by the way." Hayner relaxed slightly at that news. "You know, you're actually quite lucky. A couple more inches and we wouldn't be talking right now. Seifer's lucky too, a couple more seconds and he wouldn't be upstairs."

Hayner smiled, despite the pain still present in his back. "You still didn't tell me who you are."

"No, I didn't, did I? It'll wait until the sun is up. By then the others should be awake as well, and we can all have proper introductions. For now, get some rest." Hayner nodded and quickly fell back asleep. In the doorway to the Spot, Marrik watched him, before looking down at the item in his hand. The pendant that he used to summon his keyblade was open, inside was a picture of a woman and a young boy. Sighing, Marrik closed the charm and clipped it back on his belt, turning his attention back to the Alley outside.

When Hayner woke up again, he noticed several voices around him. Many of those he recognized, some not as much. As he moved, everyone's attention turned to him. "Morning, lazy." Ollette was suddenly right next to him, smiling at him.

"Hey." Hayner smiled to her and tried to get up. He was suddenly grabbed gently and helped to a sitting position. He looked over and saw that Sora and a silver haired boy were the ones helping him. "Thanks." He smiled. "And thanks for the help last night, Sora."

The brunette blushed. "No problem." He chuckled a bit nervously.

"Did you find Kairi?"

"Did I hear my name called?" Kairi stepped into the room from outside, smiling. "Oh, Hayner, you're awake!" She walked over and hugged hi gently, earning a slight wince from the wounded boy. "Oh, sorry." She blushed a bit.

"It's all right. I'm just still sore." Hayner managed a smile. "So, who do I get to thank for keeping me in one piece?"

"Oh, that would be Donald. He and Goofy are still upstairs, with Mickey." Riku commented as if it wasn't that big of a deal.

"They're here too?" Hayner was genuinely surprised at this. As he thought about it, he looked around. Rai, Fuu, and Pence were sitting in another corner, talking to each other, though all three smiled at Hayner when they saw him looking at them.

Suddenly a hand slapped him hard on the shoulder, causing a grunt of pain from Hayner. "Hey, I guess I owe you one, don't I?" Seifer smiled to his rival. "Don't think that means I'm going to go any easier on you, though."

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome." Hayner smiled and the two teens shook hands, which was somewhat surprising for their respective friends. Then he realized something. "I woke up last night and spoke to someone. I never saw who it was, though."

Before anyone could respond, a portal to darkness opened up in a corner of the room, catching everyone's attention. Marrik stepped through the portal, his hood up, giving him a quite familiar appearance. Marrik, for his part, seemed somewhat annoyed as he stepped through.

"What the... one of those Organization creeps?" Hayner stood up weakly and adopted a fighting stance. This got a slight chuckle from Marrik.

"Please! I'm not a Nobody, and I don't appreciate being compared to those arrogant, self-absorbed bastards. No offense."

"None taken." Sora's comment got everyone to look at him, which caused him to blush slightly. "Uh... It's a long story." He smiled his usual smile, which everyone took to mean that he wasn't going to say any more. Thus, their attention returned to the newcomer.

"You're using those portals that the Nobodies use." Hayner was still trying to convince himself that Marrik was telling the truth.

"Dark Corridors aren't the sole province of Nobodies. If you have the skill, anyone can use them." Marrik sat down in a chair in the corner, looking at the young man.

"So, who are you, then?"

"I'm Marrik. I'm from a place which recently succumbed to the Heartless." His gaze turned slightly cold as he spoke now. "I'm here to help Sora and the others with their mission. Maybe I can save my home while I'm at it."

It was then that something occurred to Hayner. "You're the one I spoke to last night, weren't you?"

"Actually, it was early this morning, but yes." Marrik looked at Hayner once more. "You're looking better. Still sore?"

"Yeah." Hayner smiled back, wincing a bit as he turned his body to look around again. "So, what's going on, anyway? Where did all those heartless come from?"

"We don't know, Hayner." Everyone's attention now turned to the stairs, where the King and his two assistants were coming down. It had been Mickey who spoke. "They seemed to be after something here, but we don't yet know what."

Hayner seemed to consider this for the moment, then nodded, before turning his gaze over to Mickey. "And who are you?"

"Oh, gosh, I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I?" Mickey walked into the center of the room, smiling his usual smile. "Well, you already know Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy. And Riku and Marrik have already introduced themselves. I'm King Mickey of Disney Castle."

"Wait, King!" Seifer, much like everyone else, was shocked that this small mouse was a king. After a moment, both Seifer's gang and Hayner's gang knelt before the King. "Forgive us, Your Majesty. We didn't know."

"It's all right, Seifer. Most people don't. And please, Mickey's fine." Mickey chuckled a bit at the reaction he was suddenly getting. Everyone nodded and stood up, looking at the mouse in a slightly different light now.

"So, what brings you to our small town, Mickey?"

"Well, Ollette, as I'm sure you're aware, the Heartless aren't just a problem on this world. In fact most worlds have had some Heartless presence in the past few years, including my own. Much like Sora and the others, I'm here to try to eliminate the Heartless threat to all of them."

"Good luck, ya know?" Everyone got a slight chuckle out of Rai's sudden outburst. Truth be told, it was unusual for him to be quiet as long as he had been.

"Gawrsh, thanks, Rai." Goofy chuckled and held out his hand to the man, only to have it crushed when Rai returned the gesture. "Ow!" Goofy's reaction brought another round of laughter from everyone.

"Hey, Marrik. Where did you go after we talked this morning?"

"Oh, well, when we arrived last night, we removed the Heartless threat from everywhere in the town we could access. But nobody checked the mansion or the woods outside the town's walls. I decided to do that after people started waking up."

"What did you find?" The King was ready for the report.

"There's nothing there. The place is completely abandoned, other than the computer which is somehow still running." Marrik shrugged at his report. Most of the people in the room nodded their acceptance of his comments, but Mickey noticed the slight frustration in his face and knew something was going on that he didn't mention.

"Well, speaking of going places, it's probably time we took off to our destination, isn't it?" Riku spoke from where he was standing near the entrance to the Spot.

"Yeah, we need to go see Yen Sid!" Donald's enthusiasm was tempered with a slight wince from Marrik at the mention of the wizard. Mickey glanced at the wielder and smiled slightly. He knew the history of those two, and knew that the group's visit to Yen Sid's tower was going to be unpredictable.

As Donald had been speaking, Ollette had given Hayner his shirt and helped him put it on, since his movements were still limited due to soreness and stiffness. After that, the whole gang headed for the train station.

Once they were at the train station, Donald immediately ran toward the purple train that was sitting in a spot that had been vacant the previous trip. As he climbed aboard, followed by the rest of the group. Everyone turned to look at Hayner, Seifer, and the others, while Sora was the one to speak.

"We'll be back soon. We just have other things to take care of first."

"Yeah, we know. Ours is just one town of many, right?" Hayner smiled, but soon stumbled, only to be grabbed by Seifer before he could fall.

"Gawrsh, look, Donald! Who woulda ever thunk that Seifer and Hayner'd be friends?"

"We aren't friends, guys." Hayner started, though he couldn't help but smile slightly at the implication.

"We just realized that we can do a lot more for Twilight Town if we aren't enemies." Seifer looked at Marrik, who was standing in the doorway behind Sora, Kairi, and Riku. The elder Wielder nodded to the teen, smiling slightly before entering the car the rest of the way.

The train's whistle blew, cutting the good byes short. Those who hadn't already boarded hurried onto the ghost car, and found a window to look out again. Everyone waved to each other as the purple train pulled out of the station.

Once they were no longer in view of the station, the group in the car spread throughout it. Donald and Goofy watched the scenery pass by on one side, as Riku, Sora, and Kairi did on the other. Mickey wandered around in the front end of the train car, while Marrik sat toward the back of the car, lost in his thoughts.

It wasn't long before the train left Twilight town and entered the aurora area that surrounded Yen Sid's tower. This change brought gasps from most of the people on board the train. Marrik noticed, but didn't react, while Mickey had seen it enough to be used to it. Besides, the King was concerned with his old friend's sudden change in attitude.

"What's wrong, Marrik?" The King's question caught everyone's attention, causing them all to stare at the pair. Marrik had seemingly been lost in his thoughts, Mickey's words startling him slightly as he turned his attention to the King, but didn't offer a response.

"Oh,come on, it's a fairly simple question!" Sora smiled slightly to his new companion.

"Yes, it is a simple question, Sora. It's just not one that has a simple answer." Marrik sighed slightly and looked around. "I'm sure you're aware of the flow of light and dark energy throughout the worlds."

"Yeah, every world has light and dark energy flowing through it." Sora commented as if it was common knowledge.

"Yes, that's it. And each world's energy has a slightly different ratio and flow of those energies. But within the world, that flow and ratio is constant. Certain powerful people, like Xehanort's Heartless and Nobody, or Maleficent... or Yen Sid... are powerful enough to naturally bend the flow of this energy around themselves, giving them an aura of sorts." Sora and Kairi nodded. Sora'd learned about these things as he'd traveled the worlds. Kairi, with her heart having been a part of Sora's body at the time, also learned some of this. Riku and the others were already aware of it through their own experiences.

"So what's got you spooked?" Mickey was a bit concerned by now.

"The aura in the mansion is off. There's something bending its flow." This made everyone a little bit nervous.

"I thought you didn't find anything." Donald was almost accusing Marrik of lying, but the wielder held up his hands.

"There was no physical presence there. Whatever it is that's altering the flow is altering it because it's trapped in the flow, a part of it."

"How would that happen?" Riku didn't know the answer to this question, and obviously neither did anyone else.

"I'm not sure. I've never heard of such a thing." Marrik shrugged. "If I had to guess, I'd say something was either trying to leave the area or enter it, and somehow wasn't strong enough to pass through the energy's flow. It's possible that the subject was being transported unwillingly and found something to hold onto."

"Like what?" Donald was curious now himself. Marrik simply shrugged at the question, it was obvious he didn't know.

At that point, Yen Sid's Tower was coming into view. Everyone quickly exited the train, which promptly disappeared. "Oh, wow, a one way trip, then?" Kairi seemed a bit concerned by this turn of events.

"There's a couple places within the Tower where we can return to the Gummi ships, or we can ask Yen Sid to give us a ride back to the town." Mickey smiled as he commented this. The group had already begun walking toward the door, and opened it without much ceremony.

The inside of the tower was lit with blue lights, and a spiral staircase started across the way and led to a door. Marrik looked around the room and commented. "So, think anyone's home?"

"Gawrsh, I don't know. Last time, Yen Sid was in his study clear at the top of the tower." Goofy looked around, but like the others, didn't see anything.

"Yeah, but that's because the tower was being attacked by Pete and the Heartless!" Donald's irritability was growing as they wasted time looking around.

"Speaking of the Heartless, who do we get to thank for them all leaving Twilight Town?" Sora was suddenly somewhat concerned about that.

Suddenly, a loud, booming voice came to everyone in the room, as if being pumped through some sort of speaker system. "That would be me."

_A/N: Wow, that is probably by FAR the longest chapter in the story so far. I almost broke it up, putting the train ride in the next chapter, but I decided to keep it this way._

_Next time, we finally will get to meet Yen Sid. Marrik and Yen Sid have a bit of history, as I mentioned in the chapter, and it'll be fun to write that exchange. I might also put something in about Roxas and Namine, since they haven't had anything to do since Chapter 3. As for the problem in the Mansion, yes I do have a plan for that. Those who have played KH2 might have an idea of what I have planned already, though it's going to be quite some time before it comes to fruition._

_As always, please review and comment!_


	9. The Cockroach and the Snake

_A/N: Yep, Yen Sid shows up this time! The meaning of the chapter's title will be obvious once you read it. And yes, I do intend to go into the history of the Keyblade War a bit, starting with this chapter. I am well aware, since it's been pointed out to me, that according to BbS, the Keyblade War occurred thousands of years before the events of BbS. However, for my story, it needs to be more recent; and at the time I started writing this, I didn't know that. I guess you could say I took a bit of artistic license with the dates of that war for the purposes of this story. Oh well._

_Disclaimer: As much as I'm butchering the actual storyline, it's probably for the best that I don't own Kingdom Hearts._

**Chapter 9 – The Cockroach and the Snake**

"Yen Sid!" Donald was excited to hear the Master's voice. "Where are you?"

"In my office at the top of the tower. Please, all of you, come up. There are no Heartless or Nobodies in your way this time." The gang shared glances with each other, before all of them who had met Yen Sid took off for the door at the top of the stairs. Kairi and Riku looked at each other as well, then shrugged before heading after the others at a slower pace. Marrik sighed and shook his head, bringing up the rear.

As Yen Sid had said, there were no enemies along the path to the tower. Indeed, groups of enchanted brooms like those that Mickey employed at Disney Castle were the only things the gang saw as they ascended. Kairi and Riku were amazed as they looked around at the stairway within the tower. They'd never seen anything like this room.

Despite the ease of ascending and assurances of the Master, Sora and the others nonetheless paused before entering Yen Sid's study. Finally, Mickey and Sora each took one of the double doors and pushed them open, allowing everyone entry. Yen Sid sat behind his desk, as he had the previous time Sora had seen him, and smiled at the gang as they entered. "Welcome to my humble abode."

"Hello, Master." Mickey smiled and nodded to the man who had once taught him magic.

"Your Majesty." Yen bowed to the king in response. This drew a bit of a chuckle from Riku, which drew the attention of the old wizard. "Ah, you must be Riku. It is good to finally meet you face to face."

"Thank you, Yen Sid." Riku bowed slightly to the master. "It's an honor, sir." Kairi giggled at Riku's sudden proper attitude, which drew both men's attention to her.

"Ah, Princess Kairi. It is truly an honor to be graced with the presence of a Princess of Heart."

"Uh, thanks, Master Sid." Kairi blushed at the attention. Despite everything, she still wasn't used to the idea that she was actually a Princess of Heart.

The old wizard's smile faded once he saw Marrik, however. "I thought you were probably still alive. It'd take more than a simple ambush to kill a cockroach like you."

"Well, coming from a silver tongued snake like yourself, I'll take that as a compliment." Marrik bowed slightly, though it was obvious by his tone and his expression that he wasn't serious in his show of respect. Other than Mickey, however, everyone thought that it was just banter between the two. That thought was soon banished when Marrik's smile turned into a scowl and he began speaking once again. "I suppose you were jumping for joy when you heard about Alden."

Yen Sid's scowl deepened in response to Marrik's comment. He turned around and walked back to his desk before replying. "No, Marrik, I did not. As much as I dislike the philosophies, teachings, and general culture of Alden, to see that many lives lost to the darkness is still a tragedy."

Marrik looked at Yen Sid for a few seconds processing what he said. "Sure you didn't." His comment only served to further infuriate the wizard, but Mickey stopped the two from arguing any further.

"Hey, look, we came here for some help and advice. Why don't we take care of that first, and worry about our differences AFTER we've dealt with the Heartless?" The two men paused in their argument and looked at the King before nodding in agreement. Sighing heavily, Mickey muttered to himself quickly before speaking out loud again. "Master Yen Sid, how did you get the Heartless to stop attacking Twilight Town?"

"I extended the barrier to include the rest of the world, rather than just the main city. Unfortunately, the barrier is only temporary, without the walls and runes that the rest of the town has, the spell will eventually wear off."

"Gawrsh, then what do you know about why they attacked?" Goofy's question was a good one, one that was on everyone's mind.

"Not a lot, unfortunately. Initially I thought they were after the Heart of the World, but their attack pattern didn't fit their normal strategy." Yen sighed as he summoned an image of the initial attack. "They attacked from space, something they've never done before, as far as I'm aware."

"They did in Alden." Marrik muttered from where he was leaning against a bookcase. This drew everyone's attention, which prompted a further explanation from the Wielder. "They sent in a fleet of ships to attack our sector. The initial attack wasn't aimed at any specific world, rather it was spread between all of them, except Alden." Marrik sighed as he thought about it. "We realized too late that we'd left the world defenseless, not that it would have mattered. The Heartless sent in a gigantic creature which swallowed the planet whole. We managed to damage it, but... it, and Alden, disappeared into the Darkness before we could stop it."

This worried everyone, including Mickey and Yen Sid. It was Sora who asked the next question, though. "If the Heartless have a creature capable of that, then why not send it here?"

"This is the first I'm hearing of such a creature, Sora. As for why it wasn't brought here, I can only assume it's because the Heartless wanted whatever they were searching for intact. Or, it's possible that Marrik's fight with it damaged it to the point where it needs to recover." The master shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly don't know what is going on."

"Wow, there's a phrase I never thought I'd hear." Marrik had tried to keep his emotions in check, but obviously, his anger toward Yen Sid was getting the better of him anyway. "The all knowing and all powerful Yen Sid actually is clueless about something?"

"Why you..." Yen Sid's anger was been only barely contained, and having one of his rivals mocking him caused a release of emotion from the old man. "You DARE defile my tower with your presence, then insult ME in my own room?"

"Well, I had initially intended to ask for your help with something, but looking at you now, I can see you haven't changed a bit." Marrik shrugged and looked at the wizard. "It's a shame, really. I had thought that with all the lives lost that are on your hands, perhaps you'd like the opportunity to try to save a couple. Seems I was wrong though." He pulled out the device designed to return him to his ship. "I'm not going to waste my time in a place where I'm not wanted. If you need me I'll be in my ship. That said, I do have other things to do, so I won't be waiting forever."

"Wait, Marrik!" Mickey tried to catch the wielder, but he'd already found a spot to warp back to his ship. Sighing, he turned back to Yen Sid. "I was worried something like this would happen. There's too much bad blood between you two."

Sora was concerned about something else, however. "What was all of that about?"

Yen Sid sighed and sat back down at his desk, rubbing his temples. Suddenly he looked quite old and worn out. "I have long despised the teachings of those on Alden, and I never made it a secret. Marrik always felt insulted by my disdain for their world, and we have had many arguments during the war over our differences of opinion. Eventually, Mickey did his best to keep us separated." He shook his head. "I guess Marrik still holds a grudge over it. I suppose I'm no better, though."

"All right, so what did he mean about the lives lost on your hands, Master?" Goofy was a bit concerned as well, though obviously for a different reason.

"During the Keyblade War, our side was betrayed by a powerful wielder, a Master named Xehanort." This revelation got the attention of the three teens. Yen Sid held up his hands to stop the torrent of questions that he was about to face, wanting to explain further first. "After the War ended, Xehanort escaped into the Realm of Darkness. A few years later, he resurfaced, doing battle with a trio of wielders who'd survived the War on the same grounds as the final battle.

"Xehanort emerged victorious, but severely weakened. I managed to arrive too late to stop him from winning, but I had a chance to stop him from going further in his plans. Now, I must tell you, I had sworn once to never take a life if it wasn't necessary, a vow I still hold to this day. So, as he was lying there, wounded, helpless, I had a chance to end his existence." The wizard shook his head. "I couldn't go through with it. Despite everything he'd done, my vow to not kill prevented me from ending his life."

"What'd you do?" Sora was concerned more now than he had been before. Donald, Goofy, and even Mickey were listening intently on Yen Sid's explanation, as they hadn't heard this story either.

"I used a series of powerful spells on him. These spells sealed away his ability to summon the Keyblade, and wiped his memory. The strain of the spells also changed his body, giving him a younger appearance. I believed that by sealing his abilities and his memories, I had neutralized the threat, rendered him harmless." He suddenly looked at Kairi with a sad expression on his face. "When it was over, I dropped him off at what was, at the time, a fairly insignificant world known as Radiant Garden."

Once again, everyone gasped in shock at the revelation. "So then, you..." Kairi couldn't finish.

"Yes, the Xehanort that Mickey knew as Ansem's apprentice was the reformed version of the old Keyblade Master." Yen Sid bowed his head in shame as he finished speaking. "Had I known what he was still capable of, perhaps I would have killed him when I had the chance. All the same, that is one of the few regrets I have in this life. I am sorry, to all of you, for my mistake."

"Aww, don't feel too bad about it, Master Sid. After all, if you had killed Xehanort, none of us would have ever met each other!" Sora smiled to the wizard. It was fairly obvious he was trying to cheer the old man up. It was just as obvious that it was working, as Yen Sid smiled back to the Wielder.

"Thank you, Sora. Though one thing still troubles me. What did he mean when he said I had an opportunity to save a couple lives?"

"Oh! I think he meant us." The voice came from Kairi, but it definitely wasn't her. In fact, the Princess had begun to glow white once again. Soon after she started glowing, Sora did as well. When the glowing subsided, the two Nobodies were standing in the place of their Somebodies. Now it was Yen Sid's turn to gasp in shock.

"Namine? Roxas? How?"

"Ansem's experiment wasn't completed." Roxas shrugged as he explained. "At least that's what Marrik said."

"He said that the experiences that Roxas and I had while we were separated from our Somebodies caused us to develop our own souls. When Ansem tried to put us back together, he failed to take that into account and left us as we currently are."

"And what is that?"

"Separate personalities stuck within the minds of our Somebodies." Roxas sighed slightly. "We are independent entities that exist within the minds of Sora and Kairi, but we have no control over the body unless they grant it to us."

Yen Sid thought about this for a few seconds, looking at the two Nobodies in curiosity and confusion. "It is no way to live a life, having no free will of your own. But I don't know of any way to separate you two, nor do I have any desire to finish the job. What would Marrik possibly have thought I could do?"

"Maybe you should go ask him, Master." Mickey's voice was calm, as if he was requesting it, despite it being a statement.

"Perhaps I should, though at this point, I doubt he'd listen." Yen Sid sighed. "I have been a fool, haven't I?"

"You and he both judged each other based on your past, not the present. As such, you never gave the other the chance to explain themselves." Riku's comment caused Yen Sid to nod in thanks.

"I'll go see what I can do, then. Make yourselves at home in the meantime, I'm sure you're probably all quite hungry after the climb, and the kitchen is just one floor down." Yen Sid teleported out of the room before anyone could ask about how to get to the kitchen.

"Hey, over here!" Goofy had soon found a staircase that led down into the floor. "Maybe this is how."

"It wasn't there earlier, maybe Yen Sid had it hidden." Donald suggested.

"Wouldn't be a surprise." Mickey smiled and led the way down the steps. He was quickly followed by Roxas and Riku, who bowled over the other two animals in their eagerness for food. This brought out a laugh from Namine, who helped the others up, and followed them into the room below.

Yen Sid appeared on the lower level of Marrik's ship when he arrived. Walking up to the cockpit, he found the wielder sitting in the pilot's seat, working on the computer. Glancing around, Yen noticed that the ship itself was quite old, though he actually had expected this, knowing that Alden had been isolated for so long.

"Am I not far enough away from your tower yet?" Marrik hadn't even looked back to know the wizard was there. Yen continued looking around for a bit before replying. He noticed that Marrik was in the process of refueling the ship, and that according to the computer Marrik was using, it was 78% complete.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

This got the wielder's attention and he turned around to face his nemesis. "And what would you like to say?"

Yen Sid sighed and sat down in one of the other two chairs in the cockpit, fully aware of Marrik's glare on him the entire time. Sighing slightly he decided to get right to the chase. "I may have been a bit hasty when I took exception to your presence in my tower. Perhaps I should have let you explain yourself first."

The wizard's comment got a slight chuckle from Marrik. "You saw Roxas and Namine, didn't you?" Yen Sid didn't reply, and Marrik realized he was right. Smirking he continued. "Well, I suppose I should learn to leave the past in the past."

"It may not hurt." Yen Sid looked at Marrik, as if he was trying to study the man. "What do you intend to do with them?"

"The Nobodies?" Yen Sid nodded at Marrik's question. "Well, it's not right for them to exist as they currently are. And if we try to finish what Ansem started, we will destroy their individuality. As far as I'm concerned, there's only one choice TO make, separate them."

"I thought you would say that. However, I must tell you, I have no idea how to do so."

"I figured you wouldn't. The work is more similar to what Xehanort did than anything you'd ever try yourself." Marrik punched a few buttons on the computer behind him, and pulled out a small data stick. "This item holds information that may be useful to us in that endeavor. I will explain more once we return to the surface, so I don't have to waste time repeating myself." He sat there thinking for a second. "Do you know what is happening in the old mansion?"

"I am aware that something is, but no, I don't know what. I've never seen something like that before, to my recollection."

Marrik nodded to Yen Sid. At that time, the console behind him began beeping, which caused him to turn back around and work on it. "Ah, the fueling is complete, and the supplies are loaded. My ship's ready to go." He worked the console a bit longer. "And the Highwind will be within ten minutes." He turned back to Yen Sid. "Let's go back to your office. We all have much to discuss."

"Very well, Marrik. This should be quite an interesting discussion." Yen Sid stood up and opened a corridor for the two of them to travel through. Marrik nodded and passed through it first, followed by the wizard, leaving the ship on autopilot.

_A/N: So, yeah, there'll be one more chapter before the group leaves Twilight Town. Don't worry, they'll be coming back to this world more than once on their adventure. Next chapter will be Marrik explaining what he wants to do with Sora and company, and the risks involved. In the end, it'll be up to them to decide what to do. Of course, I've already decided how that's going to go, but I can't spoil EVERYTHING now, can I?_

_As always, please leave a review or comment! If I didn't mention it before, I'd like to hear suggestions for Marrik's ship's name. I'd also like some opinions on where to send some of the characters after they leave the next world! I'm going to have two groups, and I've only decided on one world._


	10. Forming Plans

_A/N: More Kingdom Hearts magic! This time, Marrik explains his plans to get Namine and Roxas their own bodies, but also why he's reluctant to proceed with the plan at this time. I should also note that I lied earlier when I said this would be the last chapter on Twilight Town. There's going to be one more after this, then the group will leave for their next destination._

_Disclaimer: Don't own it!_

**Chapter 10 – Forming Plans**

Secretly, Roxas was thankful that Mickey was cooking the group's lunch today. Even though he'd never met anyone except Namine and Riku before the previous night, he had shared Sora's memories of the others, and was well aware of how horrible Donald's cooking was.

"You know, it's actually nice to be able to move around for a while." Namine admitted as she stood next to Roxas, watching the others.

"Yeah, it is. It's a bit scary knowing that you have no control over your fate, your life." Roxas seemed slightly bitter about this fact, which hadn't gone unnoticed by the others, who turned their attention to the Nobodies.

"Aww, cheer up, you two. I'm sure Yen Sid'll find a way to get you your own bodies!"

"Thanks, Donald. I hope so." Roxas smiled to the duck. Namine, for her part, was thinking about something else. She was aware what she'd done last time she was able to think and act on her own. As such she was questioning whether she even deserved to have a second chance. Roxas seemed to see the turmoil in the girl's mind and gave her a hug. "Hey, if it's about what happened before, don't worry about it. You did what you had to to survive."

"Thank you, Roxas." Namine smiled and leaned against the other Nobody a bit, sighing. Her actions got a few snickers from the assembled group, which made both Nobodies' faces become several shades of pink as they pulled apart. "You need some help, Your Majesty?"

"Oh, no, Namine, I've got it. It's pretty simple to make soup and grilled cheese sandwiches." The King smiled at the girl, chuckling light-heartedly.

"Yeah, tell that to the duck." Roxas muttered.

"Hey! I don't see you offering to do any cooking!" Donald had apparently heard the offhand comment.

"I know I can't. I may have his memories, but I'm not Sora. I don't have his skills." This seemed to get Donald to calm down slightly. "Besides, I'm not sure I should make something if I don't know I'll be around to enjoy it." The Nobody's comment seemed to sober up the room quickly, all laughter and joking seemed to quit suddenly.

"Wow, I know I'm not wanted here, but really, you don't need to act like Death just entered the room." Marrik smirked as he entered the kitchen, oblivious to the conversation that had just occurred.

"Gawrsh, Marrik, it's not you." Goofy looked at the wielder, smiling a little once more. "We were just talking about Roxas and Namine's situation."

"Ah." Marrik nodded.

"It truly is an odd one, to say the least." Yen Sid had come down the steps behind Marrik, and once he did, the stairs disappeared, making the room larger than it had been before.

"Do you think you can help?" Mickey was still cooking as he looked back at his one time master.

"I'm not sure. Marrik has an idea, but he won't say what it is."

"That's because in its current form, it won't work." Marrik looked at the master for a second. "At least, that's what all the math and simulations say."

"Then why even consider it?"

"Because the basis is solid. It's just the details that are wrong." Marrik shrugged slightly. "We can discuss it later, once lunch is done. Potato?"

Mickey smiled, laughing lightly. "It never ceases to amaze me how good you are at picking out smells, Marrik. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were part bloodhound." It was true, during the war, Marrik had become quite well known for being able to tell what was being made for the group's next meal simply by the aromas coming from the kitchen. He'd actually managed to win quite a bit of munny doing this.

"Man, you're good at making us wait and anticipate, aren't you?" Riku was teasing a bit, though his comment was serious.

"I believe in things having a proper time and place. I know I can't finish my explanation before lunch is ready, and I'd rather not be interrupted." Marrik smirked slightly. "Besides, Mickey's cooking is quite good, you'll be happy I didn't make you wait for it."

"Gosh, thanks, Marrik." Mickey blushed a bit at the compliment. "But, yeah, the soup will be ready in a minute, and the sandwiches are almost done as well."

Less than a minute later, the mouse king was dishing up the soup and putting the sandwiches on plates for the gang. It was then that they realized that the table in the kitchen wasn't big enough for everyone. Thankfully, Yen Sid pulled out another, smaller table. He requested that Marrik join him at that table, to which the wielder reluctantly agreed.

Lunch was ate in joy and happiness. Everyone was talking about various things, including Marrik and Yen Sid. Eventually, however, the group at the large table began discussing things that really had no bearing on the two sorcerers at the smaller table, which left them to be silent and listen to the others, and their own thoughts.

Yen Sid was surprised after a few minutes of silence when he heard something asked of him. "It's starting again, isn't it?" Marrik's question was quiet. He didn't want to interrupt the others.

"The war?" Yen Sid looked over at the younger man, who nodded. This gained a slight chuckle from the old man. "My boy, it never really ended. It only went underground. Granted, there were about ten years of peace, but the Forces of Darkness were only regrouping to begin their assault all over again."

Marrik considered this for a few minutes. "He's going to be a target, you know."

Yen Sid didn't need to ask to know what Marrik was talking about. "He always was."

"Yes, but he can still regain his memories, his abilities."

"Only if the two halves are rejoined. I question whether that would be even possible at this point."

"That is true, they may not want to rejoin, either. Either way..."

"Then their inevitable meeting will either end in great tragedy for us or great triumph." Yen Sid sighed at this realization. It was true that he had considered the possibility, but having someone who looks at things from a completely different perspective come to the same conclusion merely served to confirm it. "They are not ready to face that threat yet."

Marrik nodded. "No, they aren't. Neither am I, for that matter. With any luck, by the time it becomes necessary to face him, we will have the strength to be able to persevere." Yen Sid nodded his agreement and the two fell back into silence, watching the others.

It wasn't long before the group started turning their attention to Marrik once more. "So, you said you'd try to help us?" Roxas seemed a little eager to have his own body.

"Yes, I intend to try, at least." Marrik looked around. "Yen Sid, do you have a room where I can use this and let everyone see it?" He held up the data stick as he spoke.

"Ah, yes, I have a room downstairs. Follow me." Yen Sid led the group through several hidden rooms and staircases into another room somewhere within his tower. This room was much more technological in appearance, with a large TV screen and a computer attached to it. The group couldn't help but look at the setup in awe.

"Oh, wow, this might be better than what Cid has!" Mickey looked at it surprised.

"I think it might be newer than the system Cid was using." Sora commented, also amazed.

"Thank you. I do try to keep up with the times as much as possible." Yen Sid smiled, apparently appreciative of the compliments. He then noticed Marrik looking the system over. "The screen is a touch screen, so it's easier to interface with."

"Ah, thanks." Marrik nodded and waited for everyone to get settled in the room. It was surprisingly large, and somehow Yen Sid had managed to get seats for all of the visitors he had. "All the cards are on the table." Marrik muttered to himself before sighing and turning to the others. "I want to get a few things clear before I start. First off..." Marrik pointed to Namine and Roxas as he began speaking. "You two are able to see and know everything your somebodies do and think when you're within their minds, correct?"

"Yes, we can." Namine nodded her confirmation to Roxas's statement.

"Good. I assume the opposite is true, as well?"

"Yes, they know what we do and vice versa." Namine answered this time.

"Good, then I'll only have to explain this once." Marrik sighed once again and pulled out the memory stick. "Before I start, though, I want to make one thing clear. Before we proceed with this plan, everyone in this room needs to agree to it. Especially the four of you, since you will be the ones undergoing the procedure." As he spoke the last bit, he looked at Namine and Roxas. Once again, everyone nodded their confirmation, to which Marrik nodded in return.

"One of the issues that Yen Sid has with Alden's Mage's Council is that the Council is unafraid to authorize and conduct experiments relating to magic. Sometimes, these experiments end very badly, sometimes they end well. It is the risk which Yen Sid has always had a problem with. He's always held the conviction that any pursuit of knowledge that results in the loss of life is knowledge that not worth obtaining. The Council has always held that without experiments, there can be no growth, and sometimes with growth there is danger. What I'm about to show you is an example of both."

"Around ten years ago, the Mage's Council became aware of a rather unusual case coming through the court system." As Marrik spoke, he inserted the stick into the computer, bringing the data on it onto the touch screen behind him. "A man had been arrested and was being tried for the murder of at least a dozen people before and during the Keyblade War. The man had admitted to having killed these people, and normally that would be the end of it. However, it became clear that the man was suffering from multiple personality disorder. Because of this, it was decided to go through with the trial anyway, as the prosecutor didn't feel it was in his best interest to send what was, in the eyes of the general public at least, a partially innocent man."

Marrik pulled up a few sheets of paper, court documents. "In the end, the man was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the crimes. The public became outraged at this. The council had suspected this might happen, and because of that, during the trial they'd begun research into the separation of two spirits inhabiting one body. Around six weeks after the conviction, they announced that they had formed a tentative plan to try to separate the two. That way, the guilty part of his personality would be punished for his crimes, but the innocent half would be allowed to go free. All of this was based on the idea that the subject would be willing to risk his life to gain that freedom, which of course he accepted quite quickly."

Marrik manipulated the screen again, showing a few different documents now, handwritten notes, done by two different people. "It had been determined that a specific set of spells cast in a specific order at specific times would separate the two into two bodies. However, the energy required to do so was more than any one person could safely control. As such, two apprentices of the Head Counselor volunteered to administer the experiment." He paused for a second bringing up a different set of notes, which described the experiment. "Everything went according to plan, up until it came time to sever the connection that bound the two spirits together."

"The two mages tried to use a specific spell to cut the bonds. Unfortunately, they poured too much energy into the spell. Instead of just severing the bonds, instead it shredded both souls." Marrik sighed slightly. "The man was killed in the process, but according to the notes, he didn't die without enduring a lot of pain. Both men wrote in their notes that the screams the man let out as the spell was killing him were unlike anything they'd ever heard before." He swallowed as he paused. "Both mages committed suicide soon after, claiming that they were haunted by the experience."

Marrik noticed a few gasps as he'd spoken the last bit. He knew that this would be hard for some of the people in the room to hear. He'd also noticed Yen Sid's scowl had deepened as Marrik was speaking. "This was the first of three experiments in this area. The second one was by far the most tragic. Two lower level mages tried to use the information that they'd managed to steal from the Guild's library on the original experiment to recreate it for a friend of theirs who was suffering from MPD. Unfortunately, they had neither the training nor the experience to control the spells, and created an energy vacuum, which ultimately exploded, destroying three blocks of the city. Three hundred fifty people lost their lives in the explosion." As he'd spoke, he brought up pictures taken from various sources of the explosion. These images caused Namine to gasp and close her eyes, obviously disturbed by them. Marrik knew this would happen, but he needed to tell them the risks.

"Approximately a year after the explosion, a friend of the Head Councilor came to him, asking him to help with his son, who had MPD. The man was aware of both experiments, and also knew that the second one had been done without the Council's authorization or their monitoring. He managed to convince the Head that if trained mages were to conduct the experiment once more, the procedure may be successful. He also mentioned that his son was being driven insane by the other personality within him, to the point where he'd already tried to end his own life."

"Considering all of this, the Council reluctantly agreed to try once more. In an attempt to minimize the risks, it was decided to do the experiment in a secluded house in the mountains far north of the City. The home was set up with video cameras to record the experiment as well as microphones to record audio and speakers to help with communication between the home and the lab in the Tower, where the rest of the Council and other top mages, including myself, would be controlling and advising the two at the home. The only people that were going to physically be in the house were the subject and the two mages performing the experiment."

"The evening before the experiment, there was a massive blizzard on the mountain, which cut off access to the home. It was determined by those involved to continue with the experiment anyway, with the knowledge that if anything happened those in the house were on their own. The experiment began, and went quite well. As the two mages worked, however, one of them slightly mispronounced one of the words in an enchantment he was casting. Both of the mages in the house caught the slight mistake, but continued on with the process. Nobody really thought anything of the error at the time."

"About an hour into the procedure, it became apparent that the two mages were wearing out much faster than they should have been. At that point they tried to call the spirits out of the body, in order to cut the chains binding them. Before they could set to separating the two, however, both mages collapsed, and the subject screamed in pain, before he passed out as well. It was another two hours before the subject began to move once more and upon the suggestion of those at the base, he checked the mages, finding both to have passed."

"A few hours after that, the subject grabbed his head and screamed in pain. He told the council that something had gone horribly wrong, and now he was hearing THREE voices inside his head. It was determined by the Council, upon further research, that the mage's mistake with the pronunciation had far ranging consequences. The mispronunciation had caused the two mages to gain energy for the spells from their own life force, rather than the magic energies of the world around them. Further, when they were calling out the spirits, they inadvertently joined their own to the subject's, when their life force ran out, they were combined into the subject's body instead of being released to pass on." He stopped here, looking at the data on the screen. It showed notes written by several members of the Council and others present for the third experiment.

"So what happened to the subject?" Namine was very concerned about this. Marrik nodded to her, sighing.

"He committed suicide about three days later. It was another two before we were able to come up and retrieve the bodies."

"So how did you get the notes on all of this?" Yen Sid was a bit curious about everything as well.

"After the experiment failed, I was tasked with determining why and trying to find a way to make the experiment safer. As such, I was given access to all the notes that the Council had on the first two experiments. Soon after the bodies were recovered, the Council voted unanimously to terminate any research into spirit separation, and ordered me to halt my investigation. They never asked me to return the data I had, and as such, I've kept it ever since, uploading it onto this drive."

"Did you manage to determine anything before your investigation was stopped?" Roxas was a bit nervous about what he'd seen, knowing that Marrik was intending to put him and Namine through roughly the same procedure.

"I determined that, with the spell list the Council had created, the odds of the experiment failing on some level were at around 96%." This gained another round of gasps from his audience.

"Gawrsh, those odds don't make putting Sora, Kairi, Namine, and Roxas through the attempt." Goofy shook his head. Donald nodded in agreement, as did Mickey.

"I am aware of this. I don't intend to put them through anything that has that high of a failure rate." Everyone's attention returned to Marrik once more. "Even after I was told to shut down the investigation, my own curiosity led me to pursue ways to make the process safer. Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with one, which is another reason I need Yen Sid's help." The wielder brought up a paper, which Yen Sid and Mickey both immediately recognized as a list of spells. "This is the basis of the experiments, the spells used in them."

Looking at the list, Yen Sid couldn't help but swallow hard. "The precision required to make all of these spells work to the intended conclusion, it'd be almost impossible to do correctly."

"I know. Can you help find some other spells that can have the same effect but less risk?"

"I can try, but it'll take time."

"Wait just a minute. You're not going to help him with the research?" Donald seemed annoyed by this.

"As good as I am with magic, I believe my services are better spent out there, helping you seal the worlds and make them safe. Besides, I have a score to settle with the Heartless, and I can't do it sitting in a library all day."

"He's right, Donald. I can handle the research into these experiments. His destiny is out there, not in here." Yen Sid's comments surprised Marrik more than anyone, though it did get everyone's attention. "Don't worry, I think I can find a few ways to improve the odds. Though, I'd like to have access to all of the notes on the three experiments anyway."

"Keep the stick. I have another copy on board the ship." He looked at the others. "I can make more copies for the rest of you, if you want. I'd recommend that you at least look over the notes before deciding whether to go through with this plan."

"As it stands, I'd have to say no to the plan, Marrik. However, if Yen Sid can get the odds of success to a more reasonable level, I will have no problem changing my mind." The King's words were soft and kind, not admonishing as Marrik would have almost expected. He knew this was a reckless idea, even under the best circumstances. As he looked around, he noticed that everyone was agreeing with the King. He nodded as well.

"In its current state, I wouldn't ask you to allow me to attempt the experiment. If Yen Sid can improve the odds, we will discuss this again. If he can't then I'm sorry, but you four will have to find another way." Marrik shrugged to the two Nobodies in apology. "I just wanted to let everyone know what I was looking at doing, and the risks involved in it."

"We can adapt if we have to, Marrik." Roxas smiled at the older wielder. "On behalf of Sora, I want to say thanks for the idea, and the attempt." Namine nodded in agreement. Marrik smiled.

"You're both welcome, as are Sora and Kairi."

"Well, I suppose I should get started on the research. Dinner will be ready in about four hours. In the meantime, why don't you all relax or get some training in?" Yen Sid smiled to the group. "By the way, where do you intend to go next?"

"Well, gosh, Master. We don't really know yet. We haven't set a plan or a path out in front of us." Mickey seemed almost shy at the question. It was true, though, in their haste, nobody had thought to wonder where their next stop would be once they were done in the Tower. Usually, in the past, they'd find a hint on where to go, but so far they had yet to see one at this location. "That said, we aren't leaving until tomorrow morning, so maybe we'll find a path in the meantime."

"Very well." Yen Sid nodded and left the room. The rest of the group scattered throughout the tower, doing various tasks. Riku and Roxas practiced their sword fighting on the front lawn of the tower, with Namine drawing their antics in her notepad. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy all went their own separate ways as well. Mickey had gone to Yen Sid's study to try to contact Disney Castle and check in with Queen Minnie. Donald was in a training room practicing his aim on some dummies. Goofy had found a TV and was watching various shows and cartoons. Marrik seemed to disappear for most of the day, though all of the others managed to catch sight of him on occasion as he wandered around.

_A/N: This was another long chapter, and a long-winded one on my part. I apologize for that, but I believe it's necessary to get all of that told. After all, it manages to show why Marrik wants to do what he's doing, as well as why he's reluctant to do it. The experiments will also tie in to another plot point I'll get to in a future chapter. So, as I mentioned at the start, the next chapter will be the last one with them in Twilight Town, and I do have a few things to finish up, including more on the mystery at the mansion._

_As always, please leave a review or comment! I know this chapter isn't that good, but even so, they are appreciated!_


	11. Disturbance

_A/N: Another round of Kingdom Hearts goodness! Not much in this chapter, other than introducing another plot element that'll be hit on again much later. Oh, and a bit of character development for Marrik._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Kingdom Hearts, just the games._

**Chapter 11 – Disturbance**

Unknown to everyone, except perhaps Yen Sid, Marrik had actually taken it upon himself to do the cooking for dinner for the evening. As stuff had been set to cook, he realized he had some time to himself and had started wandering the Tower. This is why people would occasionally catch a glimpse of him. Admittedly, Marrik wasn't the best cook in the group, but since everyone else was occupied, he decided to pitch in in his own way. Yen Sid had mentioned to him about the PA system he'd installed and how to use it during one of his visits to the library while he wandered.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard in front of the Tower, Riku and Roxas were sparring. Namine, sat on a bench nearby as she sketched the two other wielders locked in what may have been a slightly less than friendly contest.

"Come on, Riku. I thought you could beat me!" Roxas taunted the silver-haired man. Riku's response was only to grunt and charge the semi-Nobody once again. Roxas parried Riku's attack with the one keyblade he was currently wielding, but realized too late that the blade was just a distraction, as Riku spun around and tripped Roxas up. The young man landed hard on the ground, the air knocked out of him, as Riku pointed the Way to the Dawn at him.

"You were saying?" Roxas sighed and nodded, accepting defeat. Riku then held out his hand to help the younger one up, which Roxas accepted.

The two had formed the rules of their spar quickly. The first person to wound the other with their keyblade or to put the other in a compromising position, one that would result in a fatal attack, like Riku had just done, would be the winner. After that, the two would take a minute or two to catch their breaths, healing if needed, and start again. Offensive magic was limited to base spells, in order to avoid serious injuries, but defensive magic was allowed. So far, the two had been very evenly matched, in fact Riku's last win had tied it up once more.

"Wow, I'm impressed that you two haven't become completely exhausted yet." Namine giggled as she continued drawing. This drew the attention of the two men.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt for you to train as well. I'd wager that you have the least experience of all of us." Riku's hint of arrogance shown through in his comments. Namine only smiled as the pencil and paper vanished from her hands, replaced with a keyblade.

"If you really want me to, I suppose I can show you a few things, Riku." She smiled as she approached the elder wielder. Once she was fairly close, she dropped into a fighting stance. Roxas, for his part, decided to take this round off, letting the other two work. "Same rules?"

"If you wish." Riku nodded and took his own fighting stance. Namine maintained her smirk, before vanishing. Before Riku could react, Namine's keyblade was against his neck from behind him.

"Looks like I win." She was still giggling at her accomplishment. Riku was shocked.

"H-h-how..." He couldn't believe that Namine had beaten him that easily.

"Oh, it was nothing. I'm sure if you were tapping into your senses more, you would have seen what I did." Riku thought about it for a minute, wondering what she'd done. Then he realized; she hadn't opened a corridor of Darkness, but had simply melted into it for a few seconds, long enough to move around him. Had he been paying attention, he would have been able to see the ripple in the flow of magic energy and been able to counter. Sighing as he nodded his defeat, he stepped away and turned to face the witch once more.

"Can Kairi do that?"

Namine thought about this for a minute. "No, I don't think she can. At least not yet." She shrugged before adding. "It's something I picked up while hanging around with those others at Castle Oblivion. I swear they would open a Corridor of Darkness to go to the bathroom." This comment brought a laugh from Roxas.

"Actually, I think Marluxia DID!" He couldn't help himself he was laughing uncontrollably now. "The rumor was that he didn't want anyone to know he was actually using the women's room instead of the men's!"

"Why would he... OH!" And now Namine started laughing uncontrollably. There had been a rumor going around the Organization that Maruxia was "not quite as manly as he appeared." This had caused him to be the butt of a lot of jokes behind his back. Roxas, not really having any real connection to Number XI, was able to hear quite a few of these. Apparently, Namine had heard some of the jokes and comments while she was at Castle Oblivion as well.

"What?" Riku had no idea what the two were laughing about.

Roxas was eventually able to get his laughter under control enough to respond. "Marluxia was the subject of a few rumors within the Organization." He stood back up and summoned his keyblade. "Shall we go again?" Riku smirked and summoned his own keyblade, preparing to start again, when the PA system blared to life.

"Ladies and gentlemen, and Donald, dinner will be served in ten minutes!" Marrik's voice carried over the speakers throughout the Tower's grounds. Riku laughed a bit at Marrik teasing Donald, even over the PA system.

"Come on, let's go! I'm starved!" Roxas had already begun running toward the tower's entrance. Namine and Riku followed behind, laughing at him the entire time.

The three wielders were the last to arrive in the dining area. When they did, they saw Donald yelling at Marrik for his insult earlier. This caused an entire new round of laughter to erupt from the three, which got Donald's attention. "And what are you laughing at?"

"Donald, calm down so we can eat in peace." Mickey was chuckling slightly at the scene himself, as he knew that his friend was getting worked up over nothing.

"Ah... all right, your Majesty." Donald reluctantly took a seat at the large table. It was then he noticed the various foods on it. "Oh, wow, you did this by yourself?" His expression as he looked at Marrik was one of shock and disbelief.

"I am a decent cook when I have a proper kitchen. I'm not really very good when I'm stuck with an open fire and a couple pots, however. Very few are." Marrik smiled at the compliment nonetheless. "Please, help yourselves. I hope I made enough." And everyone began putting Marrik's food on their plate.

On the table was two large bowls of spaghetti, one with a spicy meat sauce, the other with less meat and spice. Next to them was a plate full of garlic bread, a large salad bowl, a plate of cheesy garlic bread, and at least three different pizzas. On the ends of the table sat a carved turkey, and even a carved ham. Marrik decided to add something else before everyone got to eating. "There is more in the kitchen if anything runs low." This garnered thanks and acknowledgment from those sitting at the table. Marrik and Yen Sid, once again finding a lack of seating around the large table, sat at the smaller one instead.

After everyone had had their fill, Marrik sighed, sitting back in his seat. Yen Sid noticed that Marrik's mood had soured slightly as the meal had gone on, and now the wielder appeared to be lost in thought. "Your family?"

Marrik looked at him "Huh?" At Yen Sid's expression, he realized what the sorcerer meant. "Oh, no." He shook his head. "I was actually thinking about when I was in the mansion this morning."

"What about it?"

"There's a presence there. Something, or someone, is caught in the stream of energy."

Yen Sid nodded. "Ah, so you sensed it too." He sat back with a slight smile on his face. "There for a while, I thought I was losing my mind." At Marrik's confused expression, Yen Sid let out a small chuckle. "In all my years of existence, I've never heard of such a thing happening, let alone experienced it myself. I have no idea who or what could have caused it. All I know is that it happened soon after I lost the ability to watch Sora and his friends within the mansion."

"When Sora and his friends..." Marrik's words trailed off as he sat there, looking around. Suddenly he stood up and opened a dark corridor. This got everyone's attention, though Yen Sid was the first to speak.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to check something." And with that, he walked through. The corridor closed behind him, preventing anyone from following, though everyone, other than Yen Sid did try.

"Where'd he go?" Mickey seemed a little annoyed at Marrik's sudden disappearance.

"If I had to guess, I'd say the mansion. He was talking about the presence there, and I mentioned that it appeared soon after I lost track of Sora in that building, the last time he was there."

"When we went to the World That Never Was." Donald's statement was slightly questioning, but Yen Sid nodded anyway.

"I managed to reestablish my ability to monitor you when Sora faced Roxas at the skyscraper there."

"Then... Yen Sid, can you take us there?" Roxas' voice was almost pleading as he asked. Yen Sid nodded to him.

"I can, but only as far as the library. The basement is shielded against warping directly into it." At Roxas' confused expression Yen Sid added. "The simulation had no such shielding, they couldn't program it properly." As he spoke, a dark corridor opened behind the group. "Go ahead. Marrik can bring you back when you're ready to return." And with that, everyone piled through the corridor, leaving Yen Sid alone to let out an exhausted sigh. "Those kids are going to be the death of me."

Marrik stepped into the bare room in the basement of the Mansion. This was the room where, in the simulation, Axel had fought Roxas and, later, Sora had found a doorway to the World That Never Was. As he stepped into the middle of the room he closed his eyes. This room was where the presence was strongest, the source of the disturbance was here.

As Marrik concentrated, magic flared up around him. A sudden burst of magic flared out from Marrik, covering the room before settling in one specific area, near the corner where the portal to the World that Never Was was located in the simulation. There, in the middle of the magic stream, holding onto what appeared to be a rock, was a cloaked man. Marrik smirked at the sight.

"Hello, Axel." The sound of his voice caused the cloaked man to nearly lose his grip.

"What the... who are you, how do you know of me?"

"I am a Wielder. I know you through Sora and the others." Axel tried to look around. Although Marrik could see him, the Nobody couldn't see Marrik.

"Where are you?"

"I'm in the mansion. I could sense your presence in the flow."

"Can you get me out?"

"I intend to try, eventually." Marrik sighed slightly. "However, at the current time, I don't have the knowledge of how to do so."

"AXEL!" A new voice came from the doorway Marrik had entered from. The wielder turned and saw Roxas and the others from Yen Sid's tower had followed him.

"Roxas? Wha- Where are you!"

"I'm right here, Axel." Roxas ran up to the man, but as he went to touch Axel, the Nobody blinked, as if it was a projection. "What's going on?"

"You can't directly interact with him. He's in a place where we currently can't access directly. I'm using my magic to open up a line of communication with him, however I can't keep it open too much longer." Marrik winced slightly as he finished talking, and Axel's image blinked again.

"Can't you help him?"

"Not right now, I can't." Marrik shook his head. "Even if I knew how to get to him, I don't know how to free him from the flow without losing him." He looked back at the flickering image. "He's trapped between worlds."

"So, what can we do?" Namine walked up to Roxas, who had become saddened by Marrik's words.

"We'll have to return once we find a way to help him." Axel flickered again, a bit more noticeable this time. "Roxas, hurry up and say good bye to him for now. I'm almost out of energy."

Roxas nodded and, trying to hold back tears, he turned back to his friend. "Axel, I'm sorry you ended up like this. I promise we'll to everything we can to get you out of there."

"I know you will, Roxas. I'll hold on as long as I can, and I'll be waiting for you. Got it memorized?"

Roxas smiled at Axel's comment as the image flickered once more and then disappeared. Marrik then fell to the ground as the strain finally caused his body to give out. Everyone ran to the wielder's side to help out, but he shook his head. Marrik put his hand on Roxas's shoulder, smiling. "We'll find a way to get him out."

"I know we will. We have to, he's my best friend." Marrik nodded, smiling to the Nobody as he pulled himself back up. Once back on his feet, however, he staggered, moving to the wall to lean against it.

"Gawrsh, Marrik, you're exhausted."

"Goofy's right. You overdid yourself. You'll need to take it easy for a while." Marrik nodded to the King, smiling.

"Great, looks like we'll have to wait for Yen Sid to bring the train to get back, won't we?" Donald was rather annoyed by this thought.

"No, not if anyone has an elixir, anyway." Riku reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle, handing it to Marrik. "Thanks." The wielder drank it down, cringing at the horrible taste, before pushing off the wall and opening up a corridor. "Hurry, I don't have much energy, just enough to open this for a minute or two." With that, everyone piled through the corridor, with Marrik after everyone else.

Once they'd arrived back at Yen Sid's Tower, they relayed to the wizard what had happened. "I have heard of such a thing happening, though it was almost always a hoax. As such, I'm not sure what can be done about it."

Before anyone could reply, a chime rang out throughout the Tower's PA system. This chime surprised everyone, except Yen Sid, who appeared to have been expecting it. "Hmmm, he's early tonight." Yen Sid then made his way to the computer room of the Tower, the room that Marrik had given his briefing in earlier.

"Who is early, Master?" Mickey spoke up before the others could as they all hurried to keep pace with the old wizard. Along the way, Sora and Kairi retook their bodies.

"Someone I believe you are all familiar with." Sid opened the door to the computer room. Inside, the large touch screen was flashing a notice that Yen had received a data packet. Upon opening the package, a voice began speaking, along with images to go along with it.

"Good evening, Master Yen Sid."

"Tron!" Sora's reaction was a mix of surprise and excitement. It was quickly apparent that the entire thing was a recording however, as the voice kept going as if it hadn't heard the wielder.

"There is not much new to report tonight. User Leon has asked that I send you a message, however. He said to tell you that there is some concern about the Vale. As you're aware, construction is getting closer to Maleficent's former home, and with that, the clashes with the Heartless are increasing. There is some concern that there is still elements of her presence in the Vale. Leon attempted to contact Disney Castle this morning, but was told that King Mickey and his court were unavailable. He has asked me to pass along a request to contact the King, if you can find him, and request his council on this matter."

"Beyond that, there is nothing new to report. Construction is proceeding far ahead of schedule, and some of the pictures enclosed in this packet contain a few new construction projects that the Restoration Committee have authorized. The next report will be in two days, unless an emergency report is necessary. Thank you for your time, as always, Master." And with that, the recording shut off.

"Leon wants your assistance, Mickey?" Riku seemed a bit surprised at this. The others were a little shocked as well, but nobody was going to say anything.

"The presence of the Heartless near the Vale is surprising and concerning, even to me. I imagine Leon had no idea that this was going to happen, and hasn't been prepared for it."

"We should go speak to him! He may need our help!" Donald was excited about the prospect of seeing more of the people he'd met during his adventures. Everyone was actually a bit enthusiastic about the idea.

"May I suggest you see Merlin while you're there?" Everyone's attention returned to Yen Sid at the request. "He knows more about summoning and the barriers of the realms than I do. He may be able to help you with Axel's problem."

Roxas nodded at the suggestion. "Thank you, Master." He turned to Mickey. "When do we leave?"

"We need to get the ships refueled and resupplied."

"I already took care of that, Your Majesty. We can leave whenever you're ready." Marrik's calm statement surprised everyone. He'd been so quiet that they'd almost forgotten he was even there.

"Then I suppose we can go ahead and go, if that's all right with you, Master."

Yen Sid nodded to the King. "Safe travels, all of you. I will get to work on finding a way to separate the Nobodies from their Somebodies. Hopefully, when you return I will have some answers for you."

"Oh boy! We're going to go see Radiant Garden!" Donald's excitement was barely contained as he ran for the room's exit.

"Hey, you think we'll see your nephews and uncle?" Goofy's question caused the duck to stop for just a second. It was obvious that he didn't know the answer.

"Probably. Last I heard they were still there." Mickey covered for his friend, smiling. "Come on, let's go to the Garden."

It didn't take long for them to find a spot they could get a signal from the ships. They quickly warped up to their respective vessels and Mickey led them out into the corridors between worlds once again.

_A/N: Originally I was going to have the gang spend the night at Yen Sid's and leave in the morning. However, I decided that it would take them overnight to get to Radiant Garden, and as such, they could relax in the ships instead._

_Also, having reread the chapter, I noticed I said Marrik wasn't the best cook, then had him put out a good meal. I'm not trying to contradict myself, Sora, Riku, and Kairi are all better cooks than Marrik is, especially if they're "roughing it." That said, he can hold his own when he has an actual kitchen._

_Next chapter is going to be another ship fight in the corridors, and a bit of plot development. After that, the gang will be on Radiant Garden for a while, before splitting up. I already know that Marrik, Riku, Sora, and Kairi are going to go to Neverland, but I still haven't decided on where to take Mickey, Donald, and Goofy._

_At any rate, please leave a review or comment!_


	12. Cut Off

_A/N: Another chapter of Legacy is here for all my readers! Yes, I mean all... none of you, by the look of the reviews. Oh well. I'm having fun writing this at any rate. So, this time, the heroes head for Radiant Garden. Their trip is a bit longer than the one they took to get from Destiny Island to Twilight Town, and it's not without it's problems!_

_Due to the content of this chapter, I have increased the rating to M, just to be safe._

_I should point out two things in this chapter. The first is that the large italicized part about a third of the way through is a dream/memory sequence for Marrik. I intend to show portions of the Fall of Alden through these clips of Marrik's memory throughout the story. I may also show clips of other memories this way as well, perhaps memories of Sora or other characters, too._

_The second thing I should note is that the conversation in the middle of this chapter, between Kairi and Namine, takes place entirely in Kairi's head. If it wasn't already obvious, Namine's lines are the italicized lines, Kairi's are the underlined ones._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Final Fantasy, or anything else that's referenced in here. Only the story and OC's are mine._

**Chapter 12 – Cut Off**

"All right, Mickey, we'll follow your lead like last time." Marrik commented as he sat in the pilot's chair of his ship. The comm lines had been left open when they'd exited, and he knew the other ship could hear him.

"Right, Marrik. It'll take us a little over four hours to get to Radiant Garden once the co-ordinates are..." Mickey suddenly stopped speaking.

"Your Majesty?" Sora was understandably concerned at the sudden silence.

"Gawrsh, guys, I'm sorry, but the ship can't locate the corridor that we'd used last time we went to Radiant Garden from here."

"What does that mean?" Kairi's question was, understandably, full of worry.

"It means that the path no longer exists." Riku's voice cut in. "There's another corridor we can use, but it appears to be less direct route. It'll take about ten hours to arrive using that path, and that's assuming we don't run into problems on the way."

"That may be preferable anyway." At Marrik's comment, Sora and Kairi looked at him. "It's almost midnight, we probably don't need to show up at four in the morning, regardless of whether the world is friendly or not. And besides, we can all use some rest."

"Marrik's right. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm exhausted!" Donald quacked through the intercom.

"All right. Sending the data now." A few seconds after Riku's comment, Marrik's console started beeping. The wielder hit a few buttons and looked at the information he'd received.

"Got it. Ready when you are." The Highwind moved to break orbit, heading for the entry point to the corridor.

"Hey, Marrik?" Kairi was a bit shy as she spoke. "I've been wondering about something. What are these corridors that we're using?"

"The corridors are holes in space that Gummy engines can find and use to travel from world to world." Mickey answered before Marrik could.

"Okay, but why use them? I mean, they're narrow, confining. Why don't we travel through normal space instead?"

Marrik chuckled a bit at her question. He realized as she was asking that she'd never actually been on a Gummy Ship before. "You know that four hour direct path that Mickey mentioned? If we went through normal space, it'd take about six to eight months to travel that same path."

"So why can't the ship detect the path anymore?"

"The universe is constantly in motion. The worlds move around randomly throughout it. Because of that, the corridors sometimes break or become obstructed. This is usually a problem with worlds that are far apart, like Agrabah and Olympus Coliseum. It's not as common in close worlds like Radiant Garden and Twilight Town, but it does happen." Again Mickey answered the question. It also gained a snicker from Marrik. "What?"

"Agrabah and Olympus are far apart?"

"They haven't been out of this sector, Marrik. For them, those two worlds ARE far apart."

"I suppose you're probably right, Your Majesty." Marrik sighed in acknowledgment.

At this point, the ships entered the corridor and started their journey toward Radiant Garden. Marrik sighed as he turned his attention to his co-pilots. "I'm reasonably sure that we'll run into Heartless ships at some point during our flight. Because of that, I'd suggest you two both go get some sleep."

"What about you?" Sora started to protest, but he was waved off by Marrik.

"I'm going to stay here in case something does happen. Don't worry, I'll get some rest while I'm here. I'm used to doing so."

"All right. Wake us up if anything happens, will you?" Kairi smiled as Marrik nodded to her. "Good night." And with that, the Princess and the Chosen one left the wielder.

"_Alpha One, you've got three on your six."_

"_I see it, Alpha Five. I'm on it." The sounds of explosions occurred behind his ship as he zeroed in on a larger one in front of him. He opened fire, pelting the ship with his guns, damaging it but not destroying it._

"_Damn, that thing's armor is too thick. Switching to missiles." He turned around for another pass at the large ship._

"_Damn, I'm hit." It was the first voice again._

"_How bad, Three?" His concern was noticeable in his voice._

"_Not bad, One. I just need a minute to regroup."_

"_Go ahead and back off for now. I think we're almost done here." With that, he fired a pair of missiles at the ship in front of him, destroying it as he passed by and catching several smaller ships in it's wake._

"_All right! Good job, One." A new voice spoke up._

"_Thanks, sir." His reply was short, and not quite as happy as the other voices he was hearing on his radio. Something wasn't right about this._

"_What the fuck!" Three's words cut through everyone's cheering. "Oh no! AAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

"JAMES!" Marrik gasped, panting as he woke from his nightmare. He looked around and realized he was in his ship. It took him almost a minute to calm down from the nightmare. Many nights since the attack his dreams had been filled with replays of the battle. Tonight was no different. Sighing, he was glad that the rooms below were somewhat shielded, he didn't want to wake up the others with his panicked screaming. He noticed that, according to the clock on his console, he had been asleep for almost five hours. That left three or so before they reached Radiant Garden.

He had just calmed down and closed his eyes when his console stated beeping, the Highwind was hailing him. Hitting the button, he began to speak. "Hey, what's going on?"

"We're getting readings of something ahead." It was Mickey's voice. Marrik chuckled a little at this, he'd assumed that the King would be the one to stay at the controls.

"Ships?"

"I don't think so, all the same, it may be a good idea to get the others up."

"How long?" He checked his scanners but couldn't see anything. That said, he was well aware that the equipment in his ship wasn't anywhere near as good as what the King had.

"About half an hour."

"All right, Mickey. Thanks." He hit a button to cut off communications with the Highwind, switching it to internal speakers. "Sora. Kairi. It's time to get up. We may have company ahead."

Kairi immediately stirred in her room. Knowing that Sora was a heavier sleeper, she sighed softly as she stretched, before grabbing her robe and exiting. She knocked softly on Sora's door and it opened for her. Shaking her head at his forgetting to lock it, she entered his room.

Sora was still obviously asleep as he laid under the blankets of his bed, tossing and turning a bit. Kairi noticed as she approached that Sora was, at least, without a shirt on. She watched him for a few seconds as his chest rose and fell with his breathing. When he moaned, however, it broke her from her trance.

"Sora?"

"Kairi." She paused at his saying her name, unsure if he was awake or not. He rolled over, however, his back to her. "Mmm, thought you wanted to wait until marriage."

Kairi looked at Sora a bit confused for a minute before her face flushed with embarrassment. Resisting the urge to giggle at what she'd caught him dreaming about, she sat on the bed and shook him gently. "Hey, Sora. Time to get up."

Her shaking got him to stir slightly, though from his response, it was obvious he wasn't fully awake. "Mom, it's Saturday. There's no school."

"Sora!" Her much louder exclamation of his name caused him to jolt awake in surprise.

"Ah! Kairi!" He looked at her shocked. "What the hell are you doing in my room!"

"Marrik wants us to get up and get ready for the day. You need to get dressed and head for the bridge."

"What about you?"

"I need to shower." She smirked as she looked at him. "Though, you can probably use one yourself, considering what you were dreaming about when I came in here." As Sora's face turned several dark shades of red, Kairi kissed his cheek, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm flattered, though, that you'd think of me that way. Who knows, maybe some day, right?"

"Uh... right." Sora smiled in nervousness. "Kairi?"

"Yeah?"

"I... kinda need you to leave if I'm going to get ready."

"Huh?" Kairi took a second to take stock of the situation. It was then that she noticed the clothes Sora had worn the previous day where sitting on the floor on the other side of the bed from where she was, including his underwear. Upon this realization, she turned rather red herself. "Oh." She giggled a bit and got up. "Hurry and get ready, Sora. If I get out of the shower and you've gone back to sleep, there will be consequences." Sora nodded at her comment, as the door closed behind her.

The Keyblade Wielder got himself dressed and began to work on his hair. Realizing that he couldn't do anything with it without water, he decided to check the bathroom. When they'd seen the bathroom earlier, Sora and Kairi had both noted that the shower was completely closed off from the rest of the room, presumably for privacy in situations like this. Knocking on the door, Sora received no answer so he entered. As he'd assumed, Kairi was in the shower, with the door closed. He knocked on that door to let her know he was in here. "Kairi?"

There was a noticeable gasp from the other side of the door at Sora's knock. "What are you doing in here, Sora?" Kairi's voice indicated that she was shocked and surprised at his sudden appearance.

"I need to use the sink to brush my teeth and hair."

"Oh. All right, Sora. I'm going to be done in five minutes, though."

"No problem." Sora smirked as he went to work on cleaning himself up. In the shower, Kairi was panting for her breath. Though she'd never admit it, hearing Sora moaning her name had turned her on, and when he'd knocked on the shower door, she'd been pleasuring herself to the memory.

"_You should invite him to join you, Kairi."_

"No, Namine. I can't do that. We agreed to wait."

"_Yes, you wanted to wait. I still don't understand why."_

"This is why, Namine. We're going back into a war where one of us could get killed. What if Sora and I had sex, and something happened to him, and I ended up..." She couldn't finish the thought, but Namine knew what her Somebody meant.

"_Kairi, they have things to prevent that, you know. You should tell him what you think, what you want. I've talked to Roxas, and he says that Sora would be open to the idea if you were."_

Kairi sighed at her Nobody's advice. She was right, Kairi needed to speak with Sora. After all, in the three months since they'd returned to the Islands, the couple had done almost everything EXCEPT have sex. "I'll think about it." Sighing, Kairi shut off the water, grabbing a towel from the far wall, where the floor was dry and beginning to dry herself off.

"I'm done in here, Kairi. It's all yours."

"Thank you, Sora." She waited until she heard the outer door shut before exiting the shower and finishing cleaning herself up.

Sora made his way into the kitchen, grabbing a cereal bar from one of the cupboards before making his way to the bridge of the ship. "Morning, Marrik."

"Hey, Sora. Surprised you're here first. Didn't have you pegged as a morning person."

"I'm not. Kairi woke me up then hogged the shower."

"Ah, that explains the smell." Marrik was smirking, but Sora didn't immediately notice. Instead he shied away from the older man, embarrassment evident on his face. "Hey, Sora, I'm joking." At that point, the Princess entered the bridge, smiling at the two men. She'd manage to catch Marrik's comment and giggled a bit at Sora's embarrassment.

"Eh, you still smell good to me, at least, Sora." The Chosen One smiled to her and relaxed a bit at that, with both the younger two taking their respective seats. "So what's going on?"

"There's something up ahead."

"Ships?" Sora was looking over the radar screen on his console. On it were several large shapes, about ten minutes out.

"Doubtful. I don't know of any ships that big. Probably debris or land masses caught in the hole. It's quite common, really, you've seen it, Sora."

"Yeah, I have. I never thought to ask how or why they were there though."

"Nobody knows for sure. Some say that the masses are left over from the creation of the worlds, or from the destruction of them. Many say that the masses are the remains of some sort of a battle long ago that took place in these corridors. Others say that this... hyperspace, for lack of a better term, was originally designed to be a parallel universe to the one we inhabit, but was never completely finished."

"What do you think?" Kairi was a bit curious to her pilot's opinion.

"I personally lean toward the latter one. After all, you've seen Monstoro. Creatures like him inhabit this hyperspace, but they aren't confined to the corridors. I doubt that creatures like him could leave here if they wanted to."

Kairi's console beeped as the Highwind hailed them. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

Riku's voice answered Kairi's question. "We're getting better readings on the debris ahead. Doesn't look like there's any ships there, but they could be using it as cover. Stay on your toes."

The two ships entered the debris field soon after Riku's warning. Kairi was amazed at the structures, both metal and earthen, that they were passing through. Some of the structures were static, just floating in the corridor. Others were moving around, striking each other. On occasion, the two ships had to dodge out of the way of some debris that had fallen off of a larger piece, or one that was revealed by another moving out of the way. Throughout the ordeal, they found no traces of Heartless ships.

The seven heroes spent the time speaking to each other via their communications systems while staying on alert for hidden ships among the debris. It was over an hour and a half later when they saw the first movement among the debris. "Hey, something's up ahead." Sora's comment caused Marrik to look at his own radar.

"Several somethings." Riku's response came from the comm system.

"Heartless ships!" Donald squawked as the Highwind powered up its weapons. Marrik followed suit with his own ship.

"Lets take em out, guys!" Mickey's battle cry echoed through both ships as the two opened fire on the squad of Heartless ships that were approaching. The fight went rather smoothly, considering they were still in the debris field, they were able to use the various floating platforms and structures as cover, and get a few of the Heartless ships to crash into them as well.

After about five minutes of fighting the ships, a very loud screech was heard. "Woah, what was that!" Riku's surprise was evident as the two ships, and everything around them, shook from the force of the sound.

"What the hell!" Sora's uncharacteristic comment got everyone's attention. "Something extremely large at three o'clock!"

"Gawrsh, is it Monstoro?"

"Nah, it's a..." Before Marrik could finish the sentence, the creature appeared. The first things that could be seen were at least a dozen tentacles as they swarmed outside the corridor. After a few seconds, the beast's body appeared. Its body was larger than the corridor the ships were currently traveling through, and nobody held any doubt that it could easily crush the corridor.

"SQUID!" Donald's screech echoed everyone else's sentament. They didn't have time to question the creature's existence, however, as the Heartless had regrouped and begun firing on them once again.

"Damn, evasive maneuvers. Don't worry about the calamari, get rid of the Heartless!" Marrik moved his ship to cover the Highwind as it dove away from a group of Heartless ships that had begun firing at it.

During the ensuing fighting, all of the ships' riders kept a wary eye on the monstrosity that appeared to be watching the battle going on before it. On occasion one of the squid's appendages would brush up against the side of the corridor, causing the entire thing to shake when it did so, rattling everyone inside the tube, and causing the Heartless to scatter temporarily.

After almost an hour of fighting ships and dodging debris, the squid let out another screech. Once again, the entire corridor shook, leaving everyone disoriented as the squid moved to face the corridor once again. This time, the tentacles were raised in a position to grab the corridor and bash it. "Oh, shit!" Riku's comment summed up the situation.

"RUN FOR IT!" Marrik immediately stopped shooting at the Heartless ships around them, instead taking off as fast as possible through the corridor. The Highwind followed suit, once again taking the lead over the older ship.

The squid's tentacles came crashing down on the corridor behind the two ships. Their massive weight, in addition to the force of their attack, caused the corridor to fall apart. Debris and Heartless ships began being sucked out of the hole in the corridor as it fell apart from the attack. It was taking all the power the two Gummi ships had to not be sucked out into the collapsing tube themselves.

"There's the exit!" Mickey's cry felt like salvation to everyone. However, before the trailing ship could make it, a piece of the collapsing corridor struck it, damaging it. The Highwind made it safely through the exit, however Marrik's ship was sparking as it drifted through with no power.

_A/N: Well, I intended this chapter to go a little differently than it did. I'd actually intended for the stuff with Sora and Kairi to not be there, and most of the chapter to be the battle with the Heartless and the attack of the squid. In the end, however, I decided this was a bit better, since a little character development never hurts._

_I should mention that I do intend to have the squid return. There will be at LEAST one, if not two, fights with that beast later on in the story._

_I don't know yet if I'll actually have Kairi and Sora, or Namine and Roxas, or any other couples that may get established during the story to actually have a sex scene. The reason for this is... well, I simply don't feel completely comfortable trying to write it out. I may do one at some point, however, if I decide that it needs to be done._

_OK, so next chapter, how are Marrik and company doing with their damaged ship? What injuries, if any, will they have? And how will their reception be once they get to Radiant Garden? Find out next time, right here!_

_As always, please leave a review or comment!_


	13. Misunderstanding

_A/N: Well, here we are (un)lucky chapter 13! So, the gang is on Radiant Garden, but their arrival doesn't exactly go as planned. Then again, if it did, the story would be a bit boring, wouldn't it?_

_I'm planning on AT LEAST three chapters for Radiant Garden. I might extend it to four or five, depending on what my brain comes up with and how long it takes me to get where I'm going._

_Disclaimer: Maleficent told me she'd kill me if I didn't say I don't own the rights to her or any other characters in this story, with the exception of those I created!_

**Chapter 13 – Misunderstanding**

"Ugh." Marrik groaned as he picked himself up off of the console. The explosion had tossed all three of the ship's occupants around in their seats, and Marrik had hit his head on the console in the process. After using a minor Cure spell on himself he looked around. "Everyone all right?"

"I'm good." Sora's reply was less than cheerful. It seemed that he was a bit disoriented.

"I'll live." Kairi's response seemed a bit strained, which got both men to look at her. She smiled slightly to them, before asking, "What happened?"

"We got hit by debris from the corridor's collapse." Marrik noticed a light on his console and hit a button, reactivating communications with the Highwind.

"-Hear us? Hello?" Mickey's voice was slightly panicked.

"Mickey?" Marrik's response seemed to surprise the King, as he let out a startled gasp. He smirked slightly as he started working various buttons on his console.

"Marrik! Are you guys all right?"

"We're fine!" Sora responded first.

"Good here." Kairi backed him up.

"Yeah, we're all right." Marrik looked at the screen on his console. "Our engines are shot to hell, however. And even if they weren't we wouldn't be going too far, since we have no wing on our right side." He shook his head a bit angrily. "We're a dead stick. We aren't going anywhere without help. On the plus side, it looks like life support is fully functional and we can still teleport to the surface."

"Good. We're close enough to Radiant Garden the ships should fall into orbit. I'm sending you the coordinates to warp to."

"Thanks, Mickey. See you on the surface!" Sora smiled as he moved to get up. Marrik also got up from his seat, after closing the comms. Kairi moved to get up, but grimaced in pain when she did. "Kairi!" He moved to help her, but she held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm okay, I just cracked a rib when I hit the console." She cast a Cure spell on herself, sighing in relief as her body healed. "There, much better. Shall we go?" She smiled to the two men.

Meanwhile, somewhere on Radiant Garden, two men were in front of a large computer. The one sitting at the console was in his 40s with short blonde hair. His white shirt and jeans had a small amount of grease stained on them, as he'd been working with a Gummi Ship before starting on the computer. The man standing behind him had shoulder length brown hair, with a black jacket, white shirt, and black jeans. Strapped to his back was a gunblade.

"So you're telling me you don't know WHAT that was that exploded?" The sitting man was the one speaking.

"I'm sorry, User Cid, but I don't know what the explosion was. However, because of the explosion, I can no longer locate the corridor to Twilight Town." The computer's response offered little comfort to the two men in the room.

"Dammit." The younger man sighed in frustration. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, User Leon. Two ships have appeared in high orbit around Radiant Garden. It appears they may have come from Twilight Town."

"Can you identify them?" Leon didn't like unknown ships being in orbit, especially if they may be involved in the destruction of worlds.

"I'm sorry, but they are too far away for the Garden's sensors to identify them. They are just barely within the sensors' scanning range. It appears that one of the two is severely damaged however."

Leon sighed once more. The computer had detected an explosion in the sky about ten minutes ago, and the two humans, along with the computer, were trying to determine what had happened.

"I don't like it. Tron, maybe we should send a few ships out to check on them."

"It's not going to matter much, User Cid."

"And why's that?" Cid was beginning to become annoyed now. This morning hadn't been going well for the group.

"There are seven warp signatures coming from the two ships. They're heading for the surface."

"Where?" Leon was concerned now.

"The Borough. Near Merlin's house. I'm sorry, but with the security systems down, I can't get more accurate than that."

"Yeah, and you can't monitor them or identify them, either." Leon grumbled as he headed for the door. "I'll go check it out. You two stay here and give me updates."

"Leon, the network is down in that area. Once you enter it, we won't be able to communicate with you."

Leon nodded at Cid's comment. "Then I'll have to hope that it's nothing I can't handle." He smirked at Cid and left the room.

"Gawrsh, who turned out the lights?" Goofy commented as the group appeared inside Merlin's House.

"I don't know, Goofy." Mickey responded as they stumbled around in the pitch black darkness. "Where are we anyway? Did the system warp us to the wrong spot?"

In response, a small flame lit up around Marrik's hand, illuminating the vicinity. "Well, we appear to be inside some.. house?"

"Merlin's House. That's Cid's computer!" Sora exclaimed as he headed over to it.

"Great, but where is everyone?" Riku didn't like this situation.

"And why is there no power?" Donald was annoyed as well.

Sora, for his part, had sat down at Cid's computer and tried working with it. The screen lit up after a few seconds. "Huh, it was in sleep mode." Indeed, the computer sprang to life. The screen however, wasn't what the group was expecting.

"System under maintenance. Estimated time to completion: three hours, thirty-seven minutes." Kairi read the screen out loud. "What does THAT mean?"

"It means that the network in this part of the Garden is down. It also means that most of the area is without power as well. That includes all the security systems here. This computer is the main terminal for the area, thus it has its own power source, so it's able to stay on while it updates, but the rest of this section is going to be dark." Mickey sighed as he looked at the screen. "It appears that it was an emergency shutdown, though, otherwise Tron probably would have mentioned it."

"So what would cause that?" Marrik glanced over at the king as he spoke. The mouse simply shrugged, he had no idea either.

"Well, if it's just in this area, maybe we can find answers somewhere else. Come on." Riku was already heading for the door as he spoke. The others, seeing no real reason to stay, decided to head outside with him.

"Oh, wow!" Sora gasped at the sight in front of him. The Borough itself hadn't changed much, but the areas beyond where he'd been during his battles with the Heartless and Nobodies had been greatly built up. Several new buildings could be seen being constructed off in the distance in almost all directions. The castle which had held the royal family for many generations still loomed in the distance, across the Bailey.

"Well, we need to see what's going on. I'm going to go to Ansem's Study. Kairi, maybe you should come with me?" Mickey smiled to the Princess.

"Sure, Your Majesty." Kairi smiled and nodded to the King.

"I'll go with you two." Riku chimed in, walking over to the mouse and his friend.

"We're going to the shopping district. Maybe we can find my nephews!" Donald was excited as he headed the opposite direction of the King. Sora and Goofy joined him.

"What about you, Marrik?" Sora asked as he realized the wielder hadn't moved.

"Someone needs to stay here. Odds are if the network isn't completely down, they may have seen us and come looking."

"Gawrsh, he has a point." Goofy chuckled as the groups parted ways.

The Bailey had been repaired since the gang's last visit, Mickey noticed. The stairs had been completely repaired, as had the wall that the Heartless had destroyed during their invasion. There were now gates leading both to the Restoration Site and to the Castle Gates areas, though both were currently shut and locked. Riku unlocked the gate to the Restoration Site, and the trio headed through.

The Restoration Site had been cleared of much of the debris and blockages that were present during the previous battles on Radiant Garden. That said, there were still a few Heartless lurking about near the entrance, which the trio disposed of easily.

"I guess they still have problems with random Heartless showing up." Riku mused as he looked around. He'd never actually been to this part of the Garden, though he was aware of what had happened here with Sora and the others.

"Yeah. I guess they're able to avoid the claymores until they get to this point." Mickey's reply came as the mouse looked around, as if expecting more Heartless.

"What claymores?" Kairi's question caught Mickey and Riku both by surprise.

"She's right. The security system is down here as well."

"Must be the same part of the network as the Borough." Mickey mused. "We need to get to the Study." The others nodded and headed further down the Site, slaying groups of Heartless along the way.

"Wow, the Marketplace has really been built up!" Sora marveled as they walked through the area. There were a lot more people in the area now, and more shops as well, making the area much more crowded than it was the previous time the three had been there.

"Gawrsh, how are we supposed to find your relatives in here, Donald?" Goofy was as impressed with the changes as everyone else.

"Ah, they're probably not even here anymore." Donald seemed a bit disappointed with that thought.

"Aye there, Laddies!" A familiar voice called out to the trio, looking around for the source of it, they eventually spotted another duck, dressed in a blue suit and a top hat, carrying a cane.

"Uncle Scrooge!" Donald exclaimed as he ran toward the other duck, wrapping him in a rather forceful hug.

"Ach, careful, Donald! My back's not as good as it once was, yaknow." The other duck smiled as he returned the hug.

Sora's snicker brought the two ducks out of their embrace. "Ah, Sora, Goofy. 'Tis good to see you two again, too."

"Hi, Scrooge." Sora smirked as he shook the duck's hand.

"Gawrsh, it looks like you're keeping pretty busy, Mr. McDuck." Goofy shook the duck's hand after Sora.

"Indeed. I've managed to make a small fortune with this sea salt ice cream, thanks in part to you laddies!"

"Congrats, Uncle!" Donald laughed a bit as several ideas started flowing through his head.

"Aye, but don't think for one second you're going to get any of it, Donald!" Scrooge's comment sent Donald into one of his angry tirades, filled with indecipherable gibberish as he started angrily pacing around. This brought a laugh to Goofy and Sora.

"Hey, Scrooge.." Sora was finally able to say once he got his laughter under control. "I don't suppose you have a network connection, do you?"

"Aye, I do. There's a computer in the back of the shop. You can reach anyone on the network with it."

"Thanks." Sora smiled and headed into the shop, turning on the computer. "Is it voice activated?" At Scrooge's nod, Sora turned to the computer. "Tron, are you there?"

"Good Morning, User Scrooge." A familiar voice emerged from the computer as a familiar face appeared on the monitor. The man blinked in surprise, before correcting himself. "Oh, sorry, you're not Scrooge. Hello, Sora!"

Sora chuckled at Tron's mistake. "Hi. How'd you know it was me?"

"I recognized your voice when I replayed it. Plus, you look nothing like him." Sora didn't understand the second part of his comment, but he looked up and noticed a webcam attached to the computer.

"Ah, you can see me?"

"I have access to all computers attached to the network. User Scrooge's computer is top of the line, and comes fully equipped with voice activation and webcam capabilities. Hi Goofy, Donald." The man on the computer waved as the other two approached the computer.

"Hey, Tron!" Goofy smiled and waved back. Donald waved as well, smiling.

"I suppose it's safe to assume that you three were among the ones who came down in the Borough."

"Yeah, the King came with us! He's heading for Anesem's Study!" Donald's exclamation was a bit louder than he'd intended, and caused Sora to cringe slightly, as he was right next to the Keyblade wielder's ear as he said it. This earned a glare from Sora and a small chuckle from Tron.

"I just picked them up on the security cameras that were installed. They just entered the Postern. I guess they missed Leon." Tron shrugged at this information.

"What about Leon?" Sora was a bit curious, and a bit concerned.

"He was heading to see who had arrived in the Borough. He must have taken a different path than the King and his group did." At Sora's confused expression, Tron elaborated. "We have managed to excavate more of the ruins between Hollow Bastion and the rest of the Garden. In the process, we've opened up more routes between the various areas. Leon took a newer route, while Mickey and his friends took the original path."

"Well, a friend of ours stayed in the Borough in case someone saw us come down. He'll tell Leon what's going on and we can go meet up with them when we're done shopping." Sora commented and started to shut off the computer, but paused. "Can you tell Cid or whoever is at the computer in Ansem's Study that Mickey's on his way?"

"Of course, Sora. See you soon." As Tron finished speaking, the screen went black as the security program cut the connection. Sora smiled and got back to his feet.

"All right, let's go do some shopping!"

Marrik, unable to stand still, had made his way up to the ledge that led to the Bailey. He was now standing, looking over the wall and onto the Castle Gates area of the Garden. He became lost in his thoughts for a few moments, and didn't hear anyone approaching until the man spoke.

"I thought we'd gotten rid of all you Nobodies." Marrik turned and saw a man with a large gunblade pointed at him. The man had shoulder length brown hair and a black jacket. Marrik smirked to the man and summoned his keyblade. The sight of the weapon caused the man to gasp in surprise. "That's impossible!"

"Well, obviously not." Marrik's reply got Leon's anger to boil over, and the soldier attacked the wielder, swinging his blade overhead toward the wielder. Marrik dodged the attack, and blocked the horizontal swing that followed, but was knocked off balance by the force of the blow. "Shit." He realized that the size of Leon's blade was going to create a problem for him, as it gave the soldier a leverage advantage.

Marrik launched a fireball at Leon, which the soldier rolled out of the way of. Leon responded by firing a shot from his gunblade which Marrik dodged easily. The two then clashed blades once again, and again, Marrik found himself at a disadvantage. The wielder used a spell to knock Leon back, but Leon came back with another horizontal swing. Marrik realized that he couldn't dodge it in time, so he used the keyblade to block it. The result knocked Marrik off balance once again. Only this time, he stumbled off the edge of the ledge they'd been fighting on.

_A/N: Yeah, another cliffhanger. In this case, almost a literal one! There's not really a lot I can say about this chapter, other than I'd originally thought that Hollow Bastion was Villain's Vale, and THAT was where you fought Maleficient in the first game. It wasn't until researching for this chapter that I realized that the castle you go to, where Anesm's Study is, is actually Hollow Bastion, and that Villain's Vale isn't playable in any game, as far as I know._

_Next time, we get the continuation of this battle, and a few more surprises!_

_As always, please leave a review and comment!_


	14. A Message

_A/N: Another chapter! This is going to be a LONG story, if I don't break it up into volumes. I honestly haven't written, or planned, an ending to it. I do have a few scenes and worlds I want to have happen, but at the rate I'm going, who knows if I'll ever get there. If I don't break it up into parts, I will probably end up with a story with well over 100 chapters!_

_At any rate, this chapter finishes Marrik's fight with Leon, and introduces two of the main villains of the story. We'll also meet someone from Marrik's past, who has a message for her friend._

_Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII-2 is good, when's XIII-3 come out? I wish I knew, but sadly I don't own Final Fantasy, or Kingdom Hearts._

**Chapter 14 – A Message**

Thinking quickly, Marrik opened up a dark corridor and fell through it, disappearing from sight. Leon saw him doing so, but was unable to stop him in time before he disappeared. Sighing, the swordsman shook his head. "Well, at least that's over for now."

"Over?" Marrik's voice came from behind him. Leon cringed at his carelessness as he turned around to see the keyblade wielder emerging from another corridor. "I'm just getting started." Marrik smirked and summoned his keyblade once more. To Marrik's surprise, Leon smirked as well, though he didn't get in a fighting stance. The reason for this became apparent as another voice spoke up behind him.

"Hey, Leon, what's going on?"

"Just getting rid of a Nobody, Cloud."

"Ah, want some help?"

"If you want." Marrik turned to look at the newcomer as the two spoke. This man had short, spiky blond hair and was wielding a sword that was even larger than Leon's. The sword, and the man's armor, appeared to be wrapped in cloth. Both men then got into a fighting position as Marrik sighed, separating his two keyblades.

"All right, if that's how you want to do it." Marrik fired off two bursts of magic from his two blades, one at each swordsman. The two men were able to dodge out of the way, but it gave Marrik the opportunity to rush at Leon, knocking away his gunblade by striking at Leon's hands with his own blade. Marrik continued his assault by slashing at Leon's chest and kicking him into the wall.

By that point, Cloud had recovered and Marrik was forced to dodge a vertical slash by the swordsman. Marrik responded by sending an energy blast at Cloud, which caught the blond in the chest, knocking him back. The keyblade wielder pressed his advantage, slashing Cloud across his chest and swiping at his leg. The leg swipe caused Cloud to lose his balance and fall backwards.

Before Marrik could continue his attack, he was hit from behind by a fireball launched from Leon's gunblade. The blast knocked Marrik into the air, over Cloud. Marrik rolled upon hitting the ground, scrambling to his feet and sending an energy blast at Leon in retaliation, over the rising body of the blond swordsman.

Cloud and Marrik continued their swordplay at that point, Marrik dodging another swing from Cloud's gigantic sword and using his speed to his advantage. Marrik slashed Cloud again in the chest and punching him in the face before spinning around behind the blond and blasting him to the ground. The keyblade wielder then spun around and drove one of his blades into the ground, sending a shockwave toward Leon.

Leon leaped over the wave, realizing too late that Marrik had wanted him to do so. Leon twisted in mid-air just in time to see Marrik above him, his keyblades glowing as he slammed them down onto the brunette. Leon plummeted toward the ledge the three had been fighting on, landing with a heavy thud. He didn't move as Marrik landed next to him, facing the blond who'd joined their duel.

"Hey, guys, did either of you see that?" Sora asked with some wonder as he stared in the direction of the Borough and the castle.

"Yeah, looked like it was coming from near the Bailey." Donald, like the others, was a bit concerned about the flash of light they'd seen.

"Gawrsh, you think someone's attacking the city?" Goofy was holding several bags. Somehow, he'd been nominated as the one who had to carry all the items the trio had bought.

"I don't know. We'd better go check it out." The two anthropomorphic animals nodded at Sora's comment, and the three rushed to the Borough.

"You bastard! You killed him!" Cloud glared at Marrik, anger in his eyes.

"No, he's still alive, just unconscious. That said, if it helps you fight better, go ahead and think so." Marrik smirked to the blond swordsman. Cloud let out a scream of rage and charged the keyblade wielder. Marrik ducked the horizontal slash from Cloud, countering with two energy shots from the tips of his keyblades, before closing the distance and slashing at the blond. Cloud was able to counter this time, bringing his own weapon back to catch Marrik on the shoulder as he charged. Marrik stumbled from the slash, allowing Cloud to swing at him again, this time vertically.

Marrik saw this attack coming, and used a Reflect spell to stop it in it's tracks. He then caught the swordsman with an uppercut slash, knocking him back before catching him with a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. The keyblade wielder used a minor cure spell to stop the bleeding from his shoulder before continuing his assault.

Cloud, unable to match Marrik's speed with his larger weapon, was forced to go on the defensive. Marrik's slashes were mostly blocked by the massive sword the blond wielded, but a few got in, scraping and wounding the former soldier. After a few seconds, Cloud managed to find a small break in Marrik's attacks, and lashed out with his sword, knocking the brunette away from him.

Marrik landed on his feet, readying himself for another attack on Cloud. "Leon! Cloud!" The voice caught Marrik's attention, as it came from below. Turning his attention, he saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy rushing into the area in front of Merlin's house, where they could clearly see the fight occurring on top of the ledge. It was then that he caught movement to his right. Turning, he saw Leon had come to, and was preparing to strike him down as he was distracted. Marrik then realized that Cloud was preparing to do the same from his left. Knowing he couldn't dodge both attacks, he did the only thing he could think of.

Marrik disappeared into a dark corridor as Leon and Cloud's weapons clanged against each other where the wielder had been only a second earlier. "Sora, look out!" Leon's cry caused Sora and the others to spin around, as a dark corridor appeared behind them and Marrik stepped out.

"You know, Sora, your friends have a hell of a way of welcoming newcomers to their world." Marrik smirked, his keyblades missing from his hands as he folded them across his chest, standing in front of the trio.

"You be quiet, Nobody! I'll kill you yet!" Leon yelled from the ledge. Marrik simply looked up at Leon with a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

"Haven't you realized yet that I am NOT a Nobody?"

"You know, you do kinda look like one with that jacket." Sora's response caught Marrik's attention away from the men he'd been fighting.

"This jacket servers a purpose, you know." Sora nodded at Marrik's comment. He was well aware that the cloaks that Mickey, Riku, and the Organization had worn were capable of masking their presence to others, and he'd already figured out that Marrik's jacket served the same purpose.

"Well, now that that's settled, I need to go find my Darkness." Cloud's words caught everyone's attention.

"Sephiroth? I thought you'd already caught him, Cloud!" Sora didn't seem to understand why Cloud would be looking for him when the last he'd seen the blond, he was doing battle with Sephiroth when they disappeared from Radiant Garden.

"He managed to escape me, again. But I'll find him soon enough, and I'll finish it." Cloud waved to the group and walked off, heading toward the Bailey.

Marrik's scoff at Cloud's words caused the three to look at him in mild curiosity. "It's amazing that he intends to destroy Sephiroth."

"Gawrsh, why's that?" Goofy voiced everyone's curiousity.

"Because in order to destroy Sephiroth, Cloud must destroy himself. Both of them know this, and yet they both keep working toward that destruction." Marrik sighed, before adding to himself. "Then again, he may not be the only one on a suicide mission."

"Wait, what was that?" Sora asked of Marrik. This caught Marrik by surprise and his face flushed with mild embarrassment. He hadn't intended for anyone to know of his views on what he's doing. Luckily he was saved by Leon approaching the group.

"So what brings you four here? And who were the others with you?"

"Well, we were in Yen Sid's Tower when Tron's data packet came in last night. The Heartless have changed their motives, and were seeking something in Twilight Town that wasn't the Heart of the World."

"Tron's comments made us curious as to what was happening here, so we decided to make this our next stop." Donald added to Sora's explanation.

"As for who's with us, it's the King, and Riku and Kairi! A-hyuk." Goofy added to the conversation proudly.

"Wait, the King AND the Princess are here?" Leon looked surprised at this turn of events."Where are they?"

"They were heading to Ansem's Study, to see if anyone was there. Apparently you missed them on your way here." Marrik spoke up for the first time since the Leon had joined them.

"We spoke to Tron, he was going to tell Cid about their arrival and that they were on their way." Sora added.

"All right. I suppose we should go to the Study too, then. Come on, I'll show you one of the new paths we've excavated."

"Oh boy! We get to do some exploring!" Donald was very happy with this turn of events. Marrik couldn't help but chuckle a little at his enthusiasm. He'd been about to suggest that they use a Dark Corridor to get there faster, but he couldn't bring himself to deny the duck of his opportunity.

Leon led the group into the Bailey, but stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "This way." He pushed the wall, and suddenly a section of it opened up. Leon stepped aside and let the group into the tunnel beyond.

Unknown to the group, a rather large figure sat on top of the Bailey's roof, watching them. Though he'd arrived after Cloud had departed, and thus had missed Marrik's fight with Leon, the dog-like creature had seen some of the conversation between the group. He was also in the perfect position to see Leon open the secret passage. "So, that's why we haven't seen much activity in the Restoration Site lately. And who's this pipsqueak with those twerps? Maleficent is gonna want to now about this." And with that, Pete fled through a Dark Corridor to report to his master.

"Oh, wow!" Sora marveled at the sight of the tunnel the group was walking through. Despite being underground, the crystals in the walls and ceiling naturally glowed, causing a rainbow-like effect throughout the tunnel. Most of the color was of a yellow or green tint, but the effect was dazzling.

"Yeah, this really is impressive, isn't it? The best part is, the Heartless haven't been able to access this area yet."

"Gawrsh, this tunnel was here already, Leon?"

"Yes, Goofy. The mechanism that opened the doors was jammed and the tunnel was inaccessible, but they were always here. We are still trying to figure out what they were used for, however they lead directly into the lower levels of the Bastion, so it'd be safe to assume they were used to quickly move from the castle to the town and back." Leon's explanation was plausible, though Marrik had another idea.

"Is this how Kairi was taken?" The question caused all attention to turn to the wielder, who simply shrugged. "She was taken from the castle by Ansem and sent to Destiny Islands. It's not out of the realm of possibility that it was a tunnel like this that was used."

"Well, if that's the case, where's the door?" Donald's impatience was showing through.

"We're still excavating, Donald. It's possible Marrik's right, these tunnels were supposed to be used as escape routes for the Royal Family and we haven't found the one with the door in it. Or, we have and the door's still buried." Leon gestured to a pile of rubble in the middle of one of the tunnel walls. The rubble looked like it'd fallen there, as it was different than the wall around it.

"You need some help with that?" Sora's question was obvious, but Leon shook his head anyway.

"As much as I'd like to welcome the assistance, Sora, your destiny, and that of your friends, lies out there among the stars. We can manage here."

It took the group only a few minutes to reach the other end of the tunnel. Leon pushed a specific spot on the rock wall, and the door slid open, revealing that the group was in a hallway just outside Ansem's Study.

"Maleficent!" Pete hollered as he arrived in the Castle That Never Was. The sorceress, who'd been peering out over the world below her from the balcony of the room she was currently in, turned toward her servant as he returned.

"You have a report already?" She was surprised to see him back so soon. "Or did Sora defeat you, again." Her addition was dripping with disgust and annoyance. It appeared, however, that Pete didn't catch the tone in his master's voice.

"Ah, Maleficent, the pipsqueak is in Radiant Garden, as you'd predicted. And there's some secret passages in the city that we didn't know about before."

"I know of the passages, Pete. Stop boring me with your pointless drivel and get to the point of your sudden return."

"Uh, right. Well, you see, the Keyblade Master is joined by another. I don't know who this fourth person is or what he's capable of. He could be nothing, or he could be a problem."

News of a new player certainly got Maleficent's attention. She smiled to her minion. "Well, you get to go find out more about him, then. Go back to Radiant Garden and see what you can uncover about this interloper."

"Yes, of course." Pete nodded to his master, before opening another corridor and leaving again. Maleficent was left alone with her thoughts once more. This time, they turned to the new arrival in her war with the Keyblade Master and his friends.

"Ah, there you guys are." Cid smirked as he stood up to walk over to Sora and the others. The group immediately noticed Mickey, Riku, and Kairi had safely made it to the Study. "They got here just a minute ago. We haven't even had time for introductions yet. I see you guys have a new face in your group as well."

"Yeah, we got into a bit of a scuffle before I realized he was on our side, but I don't think there's any hard feelings, right?" Leon looked over to Marrik, who was standing nearby. The wielder shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Uh, right, introductions." Riku spoke up, getting the attention off of the newest member of their group. "I'm Riku. I'm Sora's best friend from Destiny Islands and a keyblade wielder."

"And I'm Kairi. I'm also a keyblade wielder from Destiny Islands." The lone female spoke up next.

"Wait, PRINCESS Kairi?" Cid looked her over once more, before gasping in shock. "It IS you! Princess! We were so worried!" He immediately bowed before his princess. Leon bowed as well, though not as severely as the computer programmer. Kairi blushed furiously at the attention she was suddenly getting.

"Please don't do that. I may be a princess, but I'm not used to being referred to or treated as one. And I have no real ability to lead at this time. You guys are doing far better on your own than you could with me leading you."

"As you wish, Princess." Leon nodded to her, standing up straight once more. Cid stood as well, nodding.

"And please, just Kairi. I... don't really like being called Princess all the time." This got another pair of nods from the two Garden residents. They then turned their attention to Marrik, who suddenly felt a little uncomfortable with everyone staring at him.

"Uh... my name's Marrik. I'm a wielder from Alden."

"Wait, could you repeat that, please?" Marrik looked around in confusion at the new voice that suddenly sprang up.

"What the...?"

"Oh, that's Tron. He's the computer program that controls pretty much everything in this city, and this castle." Cid commented almost absentmindedly, as if it was common knowledge. Granted, for Garden residents, and Mickey's crew, it was.

"Oh." Marrik then turned to the computer. "My name is Marrik. I'm from Alden."

A face appeared on the computer monitor. The face was quite pale, with white clothing with glowing blue lines running all over it, including the helmet that the man was wearing. "Wow, this is strange, then."

"What is it, Tron?" Cid was getting a little annoyed, things hadn't been going well for him so far today.

"Well, as you all know, I've been cleaning up the directories and reorganizing things here in the OS. A few days ago, I discovered a large directory that had been hidden. The directory is encrypted, and I haven't been able to get into it. The only one the directory says is authorized is 'Marrik from Alden.' I'm guessing that's you."

"Gawrsh, Marrik, when were you here?"

"I wasn't as far as I know. I have no idea what he's talking about."

"Hmmm, it appears that the file was last accessed around ten years ago. That's when the encryption was put up." Tron seemed to be looking at the directory as he was speaking.

"Well, gee, I guess it wasn't you who created it, then, was it?" Marrik shook his head at Mickey's comment. "Wonder who it was, then."

"Well, there was one file that was unencrypted. Here." A picture of a woman around 20 years old appeared on the screen. She had jet-black hair which made her bright blue eyes seem even brighter. Though she was smiling in the picture, it was apparent that there was some sadness in her expression as well. The rest of the woman's body was out of the photo, but it was enough for Marrik to recognize her. He let out a gasp of shock and surprise, stepping away from the computer, with his jaw hanging open. Everyone looked at the wielder in confusion.

"What? Who is it, Marrik?" Riku voiced everyone's question.

"Ce... Celeste!" Marrik almost whispered the name, but it was still caught by those around him. His eyes darted around rapidly, obviously he was trying to figure out how this woman had come to be here. Eventually he looked back at the screen. "Tron, tell me everything you can about the woman in the picture."

"I'm sorry, User Marrik, but this picture is all the information I have on someone named Celeste. However, it appears she may be the one who set up this directory. I need a password from you in order to unlock it, however."

"Password?" Marrik thought for a few seconds before replying further. "Alden, Xeres, Umada, Varda, Cincle, Moldar, Zervin."

"The seven worlds of your sector." Mickey commented with realization.

"The seven worlds I failed to protect. Just like her." Marrik's response, though quiet, was full of anger and frustration.

Tron put the seven words into whatever he was working on. The computer beeped and Tron smiled. "That worked. The entire directory is now accessible." On the screen several dozen files opened up. As the computer flashed through them, everyone looked in awe and confusion.

"Ok, what are those?" Cid was just as confused as everyone else at what he was seeing.

"Mission reports." Leon responded before anyone else could.

"Five years' worth. But there's more than that. Every mission, every journal entry she's made since..." Marrik sighed in frustration again, turning is back to the computer and starting to walk away.

"User Marrik, there's one more file here. It's a video, addressed specifically to you. It's from Celeste." This revelation brought Marrik's attention back to the present. He walked back over to the computer.

"Play it. Full screen."

The screen turned black before the picture returned. The same woman from the photo was standing somewhere that was familiar to Marrik, though he wasn't sure where. In the video, her clothing was noticeable. She wore a blue shirt with a white jacket over it. There was a belt across her hips which held twin pistols, and a sword strapped to her back. She had on white pants with blue stripe running vertically down the side of the legs. Her black hair was tied back in a pony tail and ran halfway down her back.

"Hello, Marrik." Her voice was calm, friendly. "I always knew that you'd eventually leave Alden." Her smile faded suddenly. "I also knew that it would take something major happening to make you leave. Presumably, something happened to Megan. Because of that, you have my sympathies for it." She sighed, looking at something off the screen, near the camera for a second, before focusing back on the camera.

"I am sorry that I'm not there to meet you myself. Unfortunately, soon I am going to be embarking on a mission of great importance. Unfortunately, the mission is classified, and even I don't know all the details of it. I know you are going to want to follow me, to track me down, and I've planned for this. My ship is cloaked in orbit around Radiant Garden. I cannot tell you here where I'm going, and even I don't know where I'll end up, but you will find more information from me once you find my ship. Good luck, my friend, I hope to see you soon." A few seconds later, the camera cut off, the message ended. Everyone's attention turned to Marrik, who appeared to be visibly shaken by her words.

_A/N: Yeah, I let the chapter end here because the next chapter will deal with the fallout of her message; Marrik's reaction and the events that follow._

_I would like to mention that this story, more than any other I've written, seems to be in a constant state of flux. When I originally envisioned the story, I didn't have Pete or Maleficent appearing until AFTER the group left the Garden. But inspiration struck me, and here they are, at least three chapters earlier than I'd originally planned._

_So, as I said, next time, Marrik reacts to the message, and we learn about who Celeste is to him. And there will be a few more surprises in store._

_As always, please leave a review or comment!_


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